


Resolutions

by futureimperfect, Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)



Series: Ouroboros [4]
Category: Law and Order, Law and Order SVU - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/F, Femslash, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-24
Updated: 2010-11-24
Packaged: 2017-10-13 08:48:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/135398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect, https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dani and Eli part ways after Eli's graduation, but can they stay apart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forgetting

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Alchemy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/128477) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 



> This takes place sometime before the last chapter of Alchemy, during Eli's three years in law school.
> 
> Note: All original characters were created by the authors. Please do not use without permission.

Nathalie tugged the little boy up into her arms--he was an awkward bundle in his little wool peacoat and fluffy scarf--and settled him on her hip.  He was heavy, but he also wasn't used to the jostling crowds of New York, somehow different than those in Rome or in Paris, and he didn't like the cold...just like his Mama. "Did you lose your mitten?" she asked as they ducked into the entryway of the museum.  He curled his fingers in her scarf and nodded, his eyes already searching the unfamiliar place. She and Sabina had not been back to New York for any extended time in the three years since he was born.  And for some reason, she didn't think Sabina would follow her back there when she noticed that they were really gone, that Nathalie hadn't been joking when she took down the suitcases. "It's okay, we'll get you a new pair soon..."  she kissed his forehead, skin warm against her lips despite the chill, and then she ducked through the doors and inside.  The museum trip was to distract him, but in truth, Nathalie needed it as well.  Her thoughts were a mess, and she was pulling off Marco's hat, putting his scarf in her bag and thinking of a hundred different things when she felt herself collide with something hard and warm that smell like shampoo. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Oh!" Dani stumbled, teetered on the edge of one foot for a long moment before she found her balance and ended up both of her feet. The very act of not falling over, something that totally would have happened a year before, made her smile. Only then did she notice just what exactly was going on. "It's cool. Really."

"I just wasn't paying attention...I'm so sorry," Nathalie apologized again as she reached out to make sure the girl was steady.  She was young, and her dark hair, at first glance, reminded Nathalie of Sabina's at that age, and she felt a pang of something like longing.  But she realized that the girl's hair wasn't really like Sabina's at all, and the feeling passed. Marco, she realized was scrambling down her, and she let him go, making sure he didn't fall. "Yours..." He said as she snatched something off of the floor and held it up to the girl in his tiny hand.  It was, Nathalie realize, a glove.

Dani's smile got wider. "Thank you." She bent down and took the glove from the toddler. "Are you going to the museum?" It was obvious that that's where they were going, but little kids didn't mind those sorts of questions.

"Dinos!" Marco said brightly, his dark eyes wide. "Mommy says they go rawr!" His accent, Nathalie thought, sounded a little thicker when they were in New York.  She wondered how much of it he would hold onto when he was not in Italy most of the year. "That was very thoughtful of you, Marco," she murmured, more to herself.

Dani laughed at the boy's impression, completely charmed. "Yeah. The dinosaurs are awesome." She had to resist the urge to ruffle his hair, not sure just how his mother would feel about that. She put her glove in her pocket and finally really looked at the woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her, as if she had seen her out the corner of her eye someplace. "They're, uhm, up on the 5th floor. Oh!" Dani stepped closer to Nathalie, pushing her out of the way of the man who was pushing past her, clearly not paying attention to who might be in his, or his kids’ way.

"Oh," Nathalie gasped as she grasped Dani's arm with one hand and found Marco's hand with her other. "thank you...that's...quite enough near disaster for one day I think..."  She flashed her almost always nervous smile. "I'd forgotten that people could be...in such a hurry in New York."

"Yeah." Dani grabbed the door and held it for the two of them. "Well, uh, you two have fun."

"Come with!" Marco said brightly, tugging Dani's hand.  Nathalie blushed and pulled him close to her by his shoulders. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sure the nice lady has other places to be, mmkay?"

"Oh, uhm, I don't..." Dani shrugged, not quite sure what she was doing, but the little boy wasn't letting go of her hand. "I guess I could." She looked at the other woman questioningly.

"Really, we'd hate to bother you.  Marco just needs a distraction.  Leaving home and..."  Nathalie shook her head before she could start ramblings. "I'm Nathalie Pierce...and this is...really sweet of you..."

Dani shrugged. "I didn't really have any plans. I'm just home for Christmas break and," she blushed a little, "I like the dinosaurs too." She smiled down at Marco. "Oh, I'm Danielle Hamilton." She let Marco keep holding her hand. "So... where's home?" Nathalie sounded pretty American, but Marco definitely didn't.

"Danielle, it's a pleasure," Nathalie murmured, steering them to the stairs . "Home is New York...Connecticut, actually, but..."  Her eyes went wide with realization and she smiled. "Oh, Marco...Rome...well, outside of Rome...for the most part."

"Rome and Connecticut. It sounds like there might story there..." Dani helped Marco up the stairs, making sure he didn't trip.

"Something like that..."  Nathalie was saved from starting to ramble by Marco's cry of delight at the first dinosaur he saw. "Yes, it's...it is..."

Dani let go of Marco's hand, assuming that his mother would keep a close eye on him as he ran up to the dinosaur. She didn't press further on just what Nathalie's story was and just enjoyed herself as she followed Marco around the museum. She could vaguely remember having that much energy, being that enthusiastic about something. Well, she was still that enthusiastic about some things, she just hid it better now.

As they were leaving, Nathalie pulled Marco's cap on and smiled at Nathalie. "Thank you so much for indulging him, Danielle," she said as she settled Marco on her hip. "It was...it was a really nice day, and..."  She took a deep breath. "Marco is going to spend the night with his...adopted...well, not really...but that's another long story, but with his grandparents, and I...perhaps you'd like to grab dinner.  It's been a while since I've been in New York..."

"Uhm..." Dani stuck her hands in her pockets and looked around kinda nervously. She had had a good time and she hadn't though about Eli once and Nathalie didn't seem like a serial killer or a reporter or anything and she was attractive and it was just dinner... "Yeah, okay. That'd be... cool."

Dani's expression worried Nathalie immediately.  She was in college; she was young.  And she probably though Nathalie was being incredibly weird.  But she was pulling out one of her cards anyway. "Give me a call around six thirty?"

"Okay." Dani took the card and put it in her pocket. That would give her plenty of time to do a quick internet search and make sure that Nathalie wasn't a serial killer. "I'll do that." She smiled again and waved as she turned to go.

As they walked away and slipped into a cab, Nathalie felt a pang of guilt when Marco waved goodbye to Dani.  She knew in ten minutes time he would be asking about his Mama, and she knew what it would look like to anyone else to see that she was chasing a girl who was practically a teenager.  She thought of Sabina when they had first met and dismissed it immediately. Everything was still fresh, but she didn't regret walking away.

*****

Dani closed the door to her room and pulled out her desk chair. Nathalie's card was already in her hands. Her search hadn't turned up more than the fact that she was Sabina di Sassari's partner, but Nathalie hadn't exactly seemed like she was with anyone earlier. It probably explained why she hadn't really wanted to talk about herself that afternoon. Dani ran a hand through her hair and picked up the phone, dialing Nathalie's number before she could second guess herself.

"This is Nathalie Pierce," she answered as she flipped the television off and straightened up on the bed.  Nathalie didn't recognize the number, and she didn't want to assume that Danielle would call at all.

"Hey, it's, uhm, Dani... Danielle, from the museum..." Dani was blushing already. She had been doing so well that afternoon, being engaging and not stumbling over words and finding things to talk about. Apparently, her luck had ended.

"Danielle..." Nathalie couldn't help but smile, but she hoped she hid her surprise.  "It's great to hear from you...I...I just dropped Marco off a little while ago.  He couldn't stop talking about the dinosaurs and his new friend."  She ran her hand through her hair, wondering if that sounded ridiculous.

"Oh, awesome. I'm glad he had a good time." Dani twisted back and forth in her chair. "So... is that dinner invitation still open?" She didn't want to sound desperate, but she wasn't great a playing coy with strangers, well, practical strangers.

"Yes, of course.  Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go...I...well, the city changes so quickly." She never knew who she might run into that she knew.  And she really didn't know what the college kids were eating these days.

"We could..." Dani bit her lip. "There's a new place off of 12th. It's supposed to be kinda quiet. French, but they do sushi too. I don't really get it, but the food's supposed to be good." Dani really didn't know what to suggest to a world traveling director's wife. It was probably stupid of her to even try.

"That sounds perfect.  Why don't you text me the address, and I'll meet you there in half an hour or so?" Some place new.  The thought thrilled Nathalie a little bit.  She finished the conversation and changed quickly, checking herself in the mirror before heading out.  Her dark hair was just beginning to be streaked with gray, but she didn't mind that or the lines around her eyes.  Sabina poked fun at it, but Nathalie knew she liked it...and not only in part because she still looked just as young as ever.  There were too many good memories to separate them all from the bad, but Nathalie took that in stride.  She didn't want to pretend that none of it had happened; she just didn't want her future to be predicated upon Sabina's whims. As the cab pulled to a stop, she was torn from her thoughts, but she didn't mind.  There was something  about the little place Danielle had chosen that reminded her of home in Europe, but it also had a young, modern feel.  As she walked in, she wondered if she'd be out of place.

Dani saw Nathalie as soon as she walked in and waved her over. There was already a bottle of wine sitting on the table, procured with her fake id, the one that Eli had gotten her, and she hoped that Nathalie liked it. "Hey. I went ahead and got us a table and some wine. I hope you don't mind." She didn't want to see over eager...

"No, of course not, thank you."  Nathalie smiled, smoothing her hair in its already smooth bun as she sat.  She looked at the bottle and her smile great a little tighter but for only a moment. It was one of Sabina's family's brands. "This place looks nice."  The legs of her chair seemed to scape too loudly as she moved it. She was nervous.

"Yeah," Dani looked around the restaurant, tying to see it from Nathalie's perspective. "So..." Now that they were there and there wasn't a little kid to distract her, Dani wasn't really sure what to say. "You said Marco was with his grandparents?"

"Adopted...or..." She laughed lightly as she sat back and tried to make herself relax. "They're very close friends of Sa...of the family, and he sees them that way.  And what child wouldn't want to have three sets of grandparents, right?"

"Yeah, totally." That was something that Dani could understand. "I've got lots of aunts and uncles that aren't really." She nodded. "And grandparents are kinda the ultimate." Dani definitely loved hers.

"Yes, they are...and Alex and Patrice certainly spare no expense in spoiling him." Nathalie was chuckling as she glanced over the menu.  The truth was, though, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes off of Dani.  The girl was absolutely stunning in a way she hadn't noticed earlier that day.

And that was when the name finally clicked for Dani. She knew she had heard Sabina di Sassari someplace before. Sabina and Nathalie. Of course. It really shouldn't surprise her that Alex and Patrice knew every lesbian in Manhattan. "Alex and Patrice?" There was a possibility that it was a different couple, but Dani didn't think it was likely. She sighed and leaned back, glad now that she had the wine.

"They're...lawyers...friends of Sabina's from when she was in school here.  She lived with them."  Over the years, Nathalie had gotten so use to the little lie by omission that it didn't even make her blush anymore. "But tell me, you're in school...are you in New York?"

"I'm at Smith, actually. And I know who Alex and Patrice are." Dani ran a hand through her hair. "And I know who you and Sabina are, I just... didn't put it together earlier. Eli's, uh, mentioned you a few times." She couldn't really keep the blush from her cheeks, though she was sure Theo would be horrified by the fact that Eli had told her about his _interests_.

"Oh."  Nathalie let the word hang in the air for a moment.  She wasn't sure just how much of who they were that Danielle knew, but she decided it might be best not to read too much into it for now. "So you and Eli are friends? That's good."  She was beginning to feel her age, and she desperately wanted to move away from that. "You said you were on break, so New York must be home."

"Yeah, sorta." She wasn't sure if she was responding to the question about Eli being a friend or New York being home. "Or, uhm, Eli and dated for a couple of years and home is kinda New York and kinda DC. But it's where we spend Christmas and sometimes New Years." It was really only fair, considering how much that she inadvertently knew about Nathalie, that Nathalie know something about her too.

"You...dated Alex and Patrice's daughter...of course..."  Nathalie could feel the color draining from her cheeks.  She'd known this was a bad idea, and now that was absolutely confirmed.

"Yeah, but we're definitely not dating anymore," Dani said quickly and reached for Nathalie's hand. She really didn't want the night to end in a disaster. She was sort of enjoying herself. "You know what? Why don't we just stop talking about it? There are only six degree of separation between any two people anyway." She wasn't entirely sure that was true, but she was willing to go with it.

"I just left Sabina, and I'm realizing just how many things in my life are still connected to her, even tangentially."  Nathalie shook her head, but she was chuckling. "I'm twice your age, and I was worried that it was going to bother you...but something tells me I was mistaken."

Dani shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it, beyond making sure that you weren't some kind of psycho who was going to leave me in a back ally someplace." She smiled, glad that Nathalie was smiling and laughing. "But, you know, if you're friends of Alex and Patrice, something tells me that's not going to happen." She shrugged again.

"There are worse places I could drag you," Nathalie's tone was dry, and she let the comment hang as their orders were taken. "I do want to take you home..." There was a point in her life when she would have never been so bold, and even now, though Nathalie seemed completely in control, there was part of her that was afraid Dani might freak out.  But she was too old for games. "If you really want to get right down to it.  Home is a hotel room right now, but we've all spent enough nights in those, right?"

"Somehow, I doubt that a high end sex club is really worse than an ally." Dani blushed, not really believing that she had the audacity to say it. "And a hotel room sounds just fine." Even if she probably hadn't spent as many nights in one as Nathalie had. Home for her meant her parents, and while they had been really cool about Eli staying over, something told her that neither of them would be as understanding about what was probably a one night stand.

"So you know.  Well...I suppose it's good that that's out of the way," Nathalie said softly.  Their food came, and she suddenly wished she could skip this part too.  If Dani knew about the club, she may or may not have know Sabina's degree of involvement with it and with Alex and Patrice, but she didn't want to push beyond that. "I'm twice your age, you know..."

"I hadn't presumed to do the exact math, but yeah, I'd noticed." Dani tried to eat without getting distracted, but she was only partially successful. She ate just enough of it to make it more than a pretense. "I said before that it didn't bother me. I don't really think that we're about to embark on some kind of epic romance, or anything."

"Are you always this practical?" Nathalie thought of herself at that age and smiled. She liked practicality, but she didn't expect it in anyone but herself.  It was...refreshing.

"Not really." Dani smiled. "But I'm not going to fool myself, either." Besides, she had had all sorts of romantic notions about Eli, and look at where that had ended up.

"I'll get the check.  I don't think either of us wants dessert." Nathalie's voice was steady.  Assuming, in situations like this, came naturally to her now, and despite how Dani might react, she fell into the role easily.

Dani nodded, happy to let Nathalie take over. This was the part of the evening where she didn't really know what to do anyway. Before she really knew what was happening, she was sitting beside Nathalie in the back of a cab, trying to get her stomach to stop churning. She hadn't had sex with anyone since Eli had left for California and she wasn't exactly sure if what Eli liked would translate well to someone with quite a bit more experience.

"Are you all right?" Nathalie asked, flashing a comforting smile as she put her hand on Dani's arm.

"Yeah," Dani looked down at the hand on her arm and smiled a little. "I'm just a little nervous." She lifted her eyes to Nathalie's, looking at her through her eyelashes. Nerves didn't mean she was above flirting.

"It's okay." Nathalie put her fingers under Dani's chin, lifting it lightly. "It's okay to be nervous." She leaned forward and kissed Dani lightly, hoping it would reassure her. "Just don't feel like you can't be honest with me because of it, mmkay?" She pulled away as the cab pulled to a stop and leaned pulled her wallet out of her purse.

Dani flushed at the kiss and the butterflies in her stomach only got worse, though it was a pleasant feeling. "Okay." She threaded her fingers into Nathalie's as she got out of the cab, wanting the reassurance. The hotel looked nice, though she didn't really pay that much attention to it as they walked through her lobby and to the elevators.

Nathalie was silent, but she stood close to Dani, feeling her warmth.  She wrapped an arm around the girl's waist as the doors opened and walked her to her room.  For a moment, she could almost feel how cool the air had been that night on the balcony, how the city had looked reflected in the glass.  She hadn't been expecting the memory and she fumbled with her keyboard. "I'm guessing your not twenty-one, but you have excellent taste in wine...so would you like a drink?"

"I'm fine." The wine had been more than enough for her and she didn't want to lose the memory of night to vodka or tequila or whatever Nathalie might make her. She wandered across the room to the window and looked out over the city. "This view is pretty spectacular."

It was a wise choice, and Nathalie respected that.  She didn't bother to make herself one either as she came up behind the girl and put her hands on her shoulders. "It isn't isn't it.  I'd love to find a place like this..."  She could smell Dani's perfume, her shampoo, and she pressed her lips to the place where the crook of her shoulder met her neck. "I'd love to find a place like this more permanently."

"Yeah." Dani shivered and pressed back into Nathalie's arms, enjoying the warmth for a moment before she turned. She wrapped her arms around Nathalie's neck and kissed her, sighing into the kiss as she opened her lips.

"I'm sure the windows are tinted." But just in case they weren't, Dani stepped away from them. Her dress wasn't hard to shrug off, and it pooled around her feet. Her tights took slightly longer and taking them off didn't look quite as elegant, but she assumed that Nathalie wouldn't mind. But she wrapped her arms around her waist self-consciously anyway.

That told Nathalie something about Dani, and she was intrigued.  But that wasn't something she wanted just then.  Staying in front of the view would only bring back memories that still wakened things in her she couldn't deny, even after what had happened. "Come to the bedroom, Dan."

"Okay," Dani whispered, nodding slightly. She swallowed and focused again on just why she wanted to be there. Nathalie was... sexy. Sexy in a way that Eli wasn't and probably wouldn't even recognize and it was a new experience and it was just something different, something adventurous. She nodded again. "Okay." Her voice was stronger the second time, and she followed Nathalie into the bedroom.

“Good..." There was a certain tone, a hardness in Nathalie's voice that wasn't unkind.  She brushed a piece of Dani's hair behind her ears.  "You're very pretty, but I think you know that... perhaps a little too well." And it showed, not in ego as with Sabina, but in Dani's awkward grace.

Dani blushed and shrugged, reaching out for Nathalie, like she had for Eli whenever she was nervous, but wrapping her fingers in the fabric of Nathalie's shirt didn't seem appropriate. It was far too vulnerable a gesture. So she just dropped her hand. "I know what people see when they look at me."

"Good.  And you probably already know how to use that."  Nathalie touched her cheek gently before stepping back, looking at her appraisingly. "Now you need to learn not to be afraid of that."  She smiled. "Tell me what you want.”

"I didn't come here for a lesson." Dani stepped closer to Nathalie. "And beyond that, do I really need to tell you what I want?" She was standing there in nothing but her panties, after all. It seemed like a pretty clear message to her.

Nathalie laughed lightly. "It's an exercise in patience, Danielle... something tells me you haven't had to learn that.  But maybe not tonight.” She pulled her close and into a rough kiss, realizing she didn't want to instruct, not just then.

Dani opened her lips under Nathalie's, pressing against her as she started to pull at Nathalie's clothing. "I didn't think that this was going to last longer than one night." Dani smirked and kissed Nathalie again.

"Why don't we see if we enjoy ourselves, hmm? More than one night doesn't necessarily mean an attachment."  Nathalie almost couldn't believe what she was saying.  For a moment, she felt like a twenty year old girl again, but she reminded herself that she wasn't, that she had grown past that.  Nathalie ran her palm up Nathalie's side, caressing her breast lightly, running her fingertips over her nipple.

"Whatever." Dani wasn't saying it to be flip, but she didn't really have a better response. Really, she was happy to shudder under Nathalie's touch, letting her do as she liked. She felt for the zipper on Nathalie's dress and tugged it down.

Nathalie let it fall and stepped out of it as she tugged Dani to the bed, pushing the girl down and pinning her there with her body.  She pressed her thigh between Dani's legs and moaned softly. "Whatever?"

"Oh," Dani gasped, arching up against Nathalie's leg. "I..." She reached for Nathalie's face, pulling her down for a kiss. "Whatever..." She breathed it this time, just to see what Nathalie would do.

"I didn't quite realize I was bringing a petulant teenager into my bed."  Nathalie pulled her thigh away, releasing the pressure but still touching Dani, teasing her.

Dani whimpered at the loss of contact. "Wasn't being petulant." She tangled her fingers in Nathlie's hair, trying to get her to kiss her again. "Please don't stop." She hooked a leg around Nathalie's hip.

"Well..." Nathalie sighed.  She wasn't inclined to stop, not at all, but she had learned restraint.  She had, in fact, always been good with restraint.  For a moment more, she hesitated. "At least you know how to be polite."  She tugged Dani's panties off and pressed her legs further apart before pushing her fingers between her lips, feeling how wet she really was.

Dani moaned unabashadly as Nathalie touched her, arching upward. She wrapped her legs back around Nathalie's waist and tried to push closer, or to get Nathalie to come closer. "I can be very polite, if that’s what you want." There was something about the way she was trying to purr it that seemed faintly ridiculous to Dani, but it had almost always worked on Eli... at least when Dani hadn't ruined the effect by starting to laugh.  

"You can stop trying to guess what I want, stop thinking at all," Nathalie said firmly, thrusting into the brunette. "Listen, and do what I say when I say it.  That's what I want."

"Okay." There was something about the reproach that made Dani feel incredibly young, and she tried to stop thinking about it, tried to do just as Nathalie told her. It was harder than it sounded. As good as it felt to have Nathalie touch her, to have Nathalie pushing her fingers into her, Dani was still trying to anticipate, trying to react the way she thought Nathalie would want her to. It was just what she did.

"Good," Nathalie said softly, pressing into Dani firmly, slowly.  She brushed her clit with her thumb just to tease, to watch her shiver. "Enjoy yourself."

"Ohhhhh..." Dani moaned again, arching closer, twisting as Nathalie touched her. She could feel her climax building and her head started to swim. This had been a very, very good idea.

When she thought that Dani was close, Nathalie pulled her hand away and stood, slowly peeling off the rest of her clothes. She lay down beside her and pulled the girl close, kissing her again. "Patience," she said as she pushed her head down between her legs.

Dani's head was still spinning and her center ached with the delayed orgasm, but she did as Nathalie wanted. She settled between her legs and started licking her, trying to do a good job even as she was distracted. Patience. Right.

"Slow down," Nathalie said softly, fingers stroking Dani's hair.  She sighed and let herself relax, enjoying the feel of someone new, someone different. "That's it."

Dani took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but it was hard. Nathalie's fingers in her hair helped her focus though and she kept licking, trying to make Nathalie come.

"Your fingers," Nathalie gasped, arching up. "Use your fingers, Dani...mmm..."

Dani did precisely as she was told, pushing her fingers into Nathalie, curling them inside of her.

"Yes..."  Nathalie moaned loudly as she tossed her head, letting the sensations build.  She tensed, curling her toes into the sheets. "Yes..." Her climax shook her, and she was not silent, moaning until it ended, and panting lightly even then.

Dani nuzzled against the inside of Nathalie's thigh before she climbed back up beside her. She wrapped herself around Nathalie, throwing a leg over Nathalie's hip and pressing herself against it. "Still think I'm a petulant teenager?"

"Not petulant, at least..." Nathalie murmured, smiling.  She pulled Dani to her and into a kiss, still firm, still in control even though her body was completely relaxed.  As they lay there, she let her fingers drift between the girls legs, softly touching her clit.

"Mmmm..." Dani pushed forward against Nathalie's hand, desire suddenly running hot again. "Not a teenager, either." She pulled at Nathalie. "Stop teasing me."

"Now is the time to be polite," Nathalie chided, still teasing.

"It is?" Dani pushed more insistently against Nathalie, kissing her neck, nipping at it. "This is where I whisper, 'please make me come', and then you let me because I've been so good?" Sometimes, she really couldn't stop herself from saying these things, even when she knew it wasn't a good idea.

"I wouldn't say you've been good," Nathalie replied, touching her clit in earnest. "But you've been entertaining, and I'd like to see you come."

"Oh," Dani jerked as if touched by a live wire. She was already so close that the touch was overwhelming. "Entertaining?" Her head was spinning again and she wasn't sure if 'entertaining' was good or bad. Suddenly, it wasn't an issue anymore and she clenched around Nathalie's fingers, coming hard after the long wait.

"Entertaining," Nathalie murmured, pushing Dani through until she was still again.  She sighed softly and pulled the girl into her arms. "I hope you don't have a curfew," she teased.

"Mmmm..." All of the energy drained from Dani's limbs as she curled into Nathalie. "Told them I might crash on a friend's couch." It wasn't that much of a stretch, really, and it meant that Taylor and Abbie wouldn't worry if she didn't turn up that night, or if she came in late. She wasn't really sure that Nathalie wanted her to stay the whole night.

"Good..." Nathalie said softly as she reached to turn the light off.  The girl felt good in her arms, and she knew it was an even worse idea to let Dani stay, but this felt too good.  She wanted to hold onto it for a little while.

"You don't want me to go? Or am I supposed to wait a few more hours before I sneak out?" Dani pressed against Nathalie, relaxing even more at the feeling of her skin.

"Just go to sleep, Dani..." Nathalie murmured, eyes already closed. "Just go to sleep and if you slip out in the morning, order room service first."

*****

It was weirder than she thought that it would be, having lunch with Alex and Patrice without Eli around, but they had said that they wanted to see her over the break. Eli was flying in Christmas Eve and then flying out again almost immediately, so lunch had seemed like a good idea, or at least like the most adult idea she could come up with. The timing was simply an unfortunate coincidence and now she couldn't stop thinking about Nathalie, as much because of her company and all of the assorted relationships they were involved in as anything. She didn't _want_ to wonder if the three, or even four, of them had ever had sex, but she just couldn't help it. If Alex and Patrice had noticed her blushing all through lunch, they had the grace not to mention it, but there was no way that they hadn't noticed the way she had jumped when her phone rang, or the haste with which she had excused herself. "Hello?" The number had seemed familiar, but she didn't recognize it specifically.

"Dani," Nathalie said as she sat down on the hotel bed. "This isn't a bad time is it.  Hi..."

"Embarrassing, but not bad, and not because of you." Dani looked over her shoulder at where Alex and Patrice were finishing up their lunch. "Did you enjoy your breakfast?" She had ordered almost everything on the room service breakfast menu before she left, hoping that it would bring a smile to Nathalie's face.

Nathalie laughed, recalling the spread. "There was certainly enough of it.  Marco was absolutely delighted when he got back..."

"I just, uh, didn't know what you might like." Dani glanced over her shoulder at Alex and Patrice and knew that it would be rude to stay on the phone for too long. "Not that I don't like hearing from you, but I'm in the middle of lunch with Alex and Patrice, so..." Either Nathalie needed to get to the point or she would have to call her back later.

"With...Alex and Patrice?" Nathalie bit her lip, half worried.  But she sat up straighter, physically and mentally resolving not to go back to that place. "Well...enjoy yourself, and...maybe we can get together again sometime." She new she sounded ridiculous, stilted, but the situation was admittedly a little too close to her past than she'd first realized.

"Yeah." Dani was smiling now, remembering the night before. "I'd like that. Why don't I call you back after lunch and we can come up with something?" She bit her lip, hoping that Nathalie wasn't just being polite, that she actually did want to see her again.

"Sure... Marco and I are looking at some places this afternoon, but we'll be in touch." Nathalie didn't mean to sound cold, but she didn't want to seem too eager, too attached already.  It was just a little fun, a distraction, and she needed Dani to really understand that.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then." The tone of Nathalie's voice left Dani confused as she hung up. Maybe Nathalie didn't want her to call after all. She just scratched her forehead for a second before she returned to the table. "Sorry about that..."

*****

The sun was close to setting when Nathalie looked down at her phone and sighed.  Marco was curled up in front of the television, sound asleep, and she was tired and tense from looking at apartments.  She saw Dani's missed call and a twinge of guilt went through her.  Biting her lip, she called back, holding her breath as the phone began to ring.

Dani saw the number and let her phone ring a couple of times before she answered it. She knew it was petty, but she was feeling a little petty just then. When she finally answered it, she didn't try to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "Hey."

"Dani, hello." Nathalie tried not to become rankled by just how much like a teenager Dani sounded. "I'm sorry I missed your call... we saw quite a few places today, and toward the end, Marco got tired... it was a mess."

"Oh, yeah, of course." Now Dani just felt like a child throwing a tantrum, and it sounded like Nathalie had already dealt with enough of those for the day. "I'm glad you called me back..." She ran a hand through her hair. "Is Marco better now? Or sleeping or something?" She didn't really know what time little kids went to bed.

"He passed out in front of the tv.  I thought I could call someone to come watch him and we could meet for dinner... but it would just be dinner.  I... well, it's complicated.  I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah, sure. I could do dinner." It wasn't like Nathalie could drag her back to her hotel room again, not with her son there, and Dani didn't think that spending the night in her bedroom would sound particularly appealing to Nathalie, even if her mothers wouldn't freak out over it, which they totally would. "Do you want me to meet you at your hotel or did you have someplace in mind...?"

Nathalie licked her lips lightly. "Just... pick a place...anywhere.  I'll meet you there."  She ran her fingers through her smooth hair and glanced at Marco as she paced.

"There's a little cafe near your hotel. Why don't we meet there?" She proceeded to give Nathalie the address as she ran a brush through her hair and started to pull it back. "I can be there in 20 minutes. Is that enough time?"

"Yes, that's fine.  I'll see you then."

*****

The babysitter took longer than expected, so Nathalie was rushing to leave.  She was a little late when she got to the cafe, late enough that Dani was already there.  And when Nathalie saw her, she had to stop to take a deep breath, to clear her head.  But her head wouldn't clear. "Dani...I'm sorry I'm late."

Dani stood up when Nathalie came over. "It's totally cool. Things happen." She shrugged as she sat back down and gestured to the other chair. "Is everything still okay with Marco?"

"Oh, yeah...Marco's fine...still asleep, I assume, and..."  Nathalie wrapped her fingers around the back of the chair and gripped it hard.  This was stupid.  This was so stupid, and it was completely and unreasonably wrong for her to be consider it, but words were already pouring out of her mouth. "This place is...nice, but you know it's...just not really what I had in mind..."

"Oh," Dani said trying to keep the disappointment from her voice. "Okay... Do you, um, wanna go someplace else or something? There's someplace nicer just down the block." She wasn't really dressed for it, but she was sure that it wouldn't be a problem this late at night.

"I have a place in mind actually... if we can get a cab."  It had been a while since she had been there and longer still since she had been without Sabina, but Nathalie could think of nothing else at the moment. "Shall we, then...?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Dani grabbed her stuff and stood. "Just lead the way then."

Being so near to several hotels, it was nothing to get a cab, even though it was getting late.  Nathalie gave the address quietly and sat back, folding her hands in her lap.  There was a time in her life when she would have fidgeted. The urge was still there, but she had grown more of a sense of discipline since her youth. When they got out, she held the door for Dani as she pulled her wallet out of her purse, taking out her card.  The doorman didn't recognize her or she him, but he didn't ask.  And when they finally boarded the elevator and she swiped her card, Nathalie took a deeper breath.

"This, uh, isn't your hotel." Or a restaurant. Dani wasn't particularly worried but she was confused. The building hadn't had a name on it and the elevator was equally nondescript. "This isn't the part where it turns out you really are a serial killer, is it?" Dani teased.

Nathalie raised her eyebrows, but she did not dignify that with an answer.  The elevator doors opened the foyer, where the large double doors to the formal entrance were closed. "Are you actually hungry?"

"Not particularly." Besides, her mouth was far too dry to eat right now. She could barely speak now that she realized just where they were. The door alone were imposing and she had to take a deep breath.

"Good.  We'll go straight to the lounge."  The doors opened as if by their own volition.  Nathalie remembered the first time she had come, how it had been fraught by fear and controversy, how Sabina's ease, her kindness had touched her. She couldn't push all of those memories away.  They were tied to the place, to her, but she needed other memories as well.  That's what she told herself.  And she knew Sabina would know, could easily find out at least, that she had been there

"Right." Dani didn't even pretend to know what was going on or what she was supposed to do.

"Right." Dani didn't even pretend to know what was going on or what she was supposed to do. So she just followed after Nathalie and tried not to gape. "Um, I'm can't do anything stupid just walking around, right?"

"You're my guest."  Nathalie stopped short of the lounge, but she could hear voices floating in their direction. She ran her fingers through Dani's hair lightly. "You're not wearing anyone's collar, and I don't expect you to behave as if you've been trained when you haven't.  I've never...been as drawn to the formality.  What we do is of no consequence to anyone else as long as we aren't interfering.  I simply thought after our night together, you might enjoy actually seeing this place."

"Right." Dani nodded. It was amazing how comforting Nathalie's hands could be. "Thank you." She managed a smile, though she was still nervous. "So, what's next?"

"Next, we got into the lounge and make ourselves comfortable...and just how comfortable depends on how you're feeling about the situation."  She smiled softly, remembering her first time there still. "I won't push you to do anything you don't want to do."

Dani nodded. "Okay." She nodded and stepped toward the doors. "I guess I'll just... figure it out as we go along." She didn't really know what she as going to be comfortable with. It wasn't like she had any sort of experience with this sort of thing.

As they walked in, Nathalie put her arm around the girl's waist, the touch firm, almost possessive.  She steered her into a little nook that afforded a view of the room, and she made sure to catch the bartender's eye.  It had been a long time, but they would know who she was.  As she sat, she give Dani a soft kiss. "Go and get me a drink."

"Right. What are you drinking?" She couldn't remember if Nathalie had had anything besides wine on their last date, but if she had, Dani had no idea what it was.

A soft smile came to Nathalie's face, and she gently nudged Dani forward toward the bar. "Go."

"Okay." Dani looked back over her shoulder at Nathalie for a second before she walked up to the bar. Clearly there was more going on here than she realized but that was fine. As she looked up to place an order, the bartender sat a drink in front of her and Dani could really stop herself from chuckling. She wondered if he was capable of just anticipating what someone would want to drink on any given night or if Nathalie just always drank exactly the same thing and it was written down in a file on a computer someplace. But she took the drink and headed back toward the couch where Nathalie was sitting.

As Dani approached, Nathalie watched carefully.  The girl carried herself well, but she seemed unaware of her poise, unlike Sabina, who was well aware of every one of her good qualities to the point where they were almost intolerable. But she almost put that thought away before she reminded herself that if she wanted to make this about that, she could and she would.  It was her time, after all. "Thank you.  Now…the question is, Dani…would you prefer to sit or kneel?"

"I, uhm," Dani swallowed nervously. She had a feeling that Nathalie wanted her to kneel but she just didn't know if she could handle that. "I think I'll just sit, if that's okay." She didn't wait for Nathalie's response and just joined her on the couch.

"Dani…"  Nathalie leaned toward the brunette and gently took her hand. "I brought you here because I can't imagine that you've never been curious.  If all you want to do is enjoy a drink, that's what we'll do.  Then we can say goodnight and go home.  But if you think you might get more comfortable, we an stay..."

"I... yeah." Dani smiled nervously at Nathalie. "Is there any way we could indulge my curiosity someplace more private?" It was one thing when they were alone in Nathalie's hotel room. This was different, and there were people here, and she really didn't know what she was doing. She had no idea who might be in the room and if any of them knew the Senator...

"Of course."  Nathalie silently let out a breath that she didn't really realize she had been holding.  She stood, taking Nathalie's hand.  The steps were familiar, and the room had not changed since the last time she had been there with Sabina.  She led Dani into it and closed and locked the door behind them. "No one will disturb us here."

"Thanks," Dani smiled at Nathalie. "It's just... with my mom people like to know what I'm doing sometimes. Not all of the time but..." She shrugged. "I'm not really great with audiences." She reached out for Nathalie and squeezed her hand before she leaned in and kissed her.

Nathalie met the kiss gently and pulled Dani close, holding the girl against her firmly.  She remembered her first audience, how badly it had initially ended. "It doesn't have to be about that, Dani," she whispered as she ran her fingers down the back of the brunette's neck.

Dani shivered at the touch and leaned into Nathalie. "Okay." She nuzzled against Nathalie's cheek and pressed closer. "So, what is it about?" She slid her hands up Nathalie's sides and kissed her cheek, trailing them down her jaw and neck and she reached for Nathalie's clothing. "Show me." She kissed Nathalie again. "Show me."

"It's about control," Nathalie whispered, breath hot against Dani's ear, her neck.  She pushed her fingertips under the hem of Dani's shirt as she kissed down to her collarbones. "And it's about...trust..."

"I trust you." Dani didn't know where it had come from but she recognized how sudden it was, how foolish she was probably being. "I do." She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it off before she shimmied out of her pants.

"In a way, yes…" Nathalie said.  Dani trusted her enough to be there, to ask for what she needed.  And that was enough for Nathalie for the night.  She didn't want to push to a place where they would really need much more time together to go. She ran her fingers down Dani's sides. "Tell me what about this intrigues you.  Tell me at least one thing you want."

"One thing?" Dani smirked a little even as her mind was churning. There were so many things that she could ask for. "I... I don't know. Aren't you supposed to be telling me what I want?"

"Not necessarily," Nathalie replied, hands working lower, cupping between Dani's legs.  She shivered at the warmth there, at the signs of Dani's anticipation.

"Oh," Dani arched forward. "It isn't?" It was hard to concentrate when Nathalie was touching her like that. "So, are you going to teach me what it's like, because I think I would really like that."

Nathalie couldn't help but laugh lightly as she pulled her hand away. "That covers more than I think we might get to tonight, but…I like that you're willing."  It had been so long since she'd enjoyed this, since the dynamic had made her shiver. "You should finish undressing."

"Okay." Dani pulled the rest of her clothing off and tossed it aside, looking at Nathalie expectantly. "So what's next?" She licked her lips. "You should know that I'm a _very_ good student."

"Or a very eager one, at least."  Though Nathalie laughed, her voice took on a thicker tone. She took a long moment simply to look, to take her gaze over the angles and smooth lines of Dani's body before she said, "Now you can undress me."

"I thought I was already doing that." Dani bit her lip as she reached for the rest of Nathalie's clothing and started pulling it off.

"And now you've been instructed to, so I won't have to punish you."  Punishment wasn't what Nathalie wanted to give Dani.  It had always been what Sabina wanted, what she pushed for no matter what.

"Right." Dani's smile turned nervous again. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of being punished, so she finished removing Nathalie's clothing and carefully folded it. She pressed a kiss to Nathalie's shoulder as she finished and came to stand in front of her again. "Like that?"

Thoughtfully, Nathalie ran her fingers over the spot where Dani's lips had been.  She turned to the girl and ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Like that.  I like that you ask questions, Dani… don't stop doing that."  She cupped the back of the brunette's neck and pulled her closer gently. "It shows that you're willing to learn, and it also shows that you have some sense of self preservation."  She smiled softly before she kissed her.  So unlike Sabina.

"Okay. I can do that." Dani did like asking questions and it was reassuring to know that they would get answers. It was also nice to know that she wouldn't annoy Nathalie with them. She pressed against Nathalie, warm skin against warm skin, and shivered. "I like the way you feel."

The words rang in Nathalie's ears and she could almost hear the echo of Sabina's voice.  She closed her eyes quickly before catching Dani's wrist, setting her expression before she looked down into her eyes. "That's beside the point.  On the bed."

The strength behind Nathalie's grip surprised her and her eyes went wide as she stepped toward the bed. She wasn't sure exactly what might happen if she disobeyed. "Okay." She licked her lips, keeping her eyes on Nathalie, a bit more wary now than she had been the moment before.

Everything was in its place, Nathalie found as she pulled open a familiar drawer.  Her chest felt tight.  Dani's inexperience was in a way refreshing, but she wanted to push any flippancy away.  Such flippancy had destroyed her marriage; she would not have it destroy this.  She found a set of cuffs and went to the bed. "You'll need a safeword… something to say if you want me to stop or release you."

Dani nodded. The easy good humor of only a moment before seemed gone now and she wondered if uttering a safeword would bring it back. "Uhm... how about rainbow? That'll work, right?" It seemed simple enough to remember.

"If it is the easiest for you to remember." But Nathalie was already cuffing Selena's wrists, feeling the smooth, warm skin.  She clipped the cuffs together and raised them, hooking them to an almost unseen hook in the headboard. "There…just a little restraint," she murmured as she ran her fingers along the underside of Dani's breasts.

"Yeah..." Dani shuddered and squirmed. "I can remember it." She was all too aware of the leather wrapped around her wrists, the way her shoulders pulled at the position. "What're you going to do to me now?" The sparkle was gone from her eyes, replaced with something much more intense.

"Enjoy every inch of you," Nathalie said, smirking before kissing Dani soundly.  She rolled the girl's nipples between her fingers, pinching them lightly, enjoying the way Dani squirmed at the touch.

"Oh... God," Dani exhaled as she arched up into Nathalie's fingers. Just the tone of her voice was making Dani wet. The hands on her breasts were a bonus. This was nothing at all like the night they had spent in Nathalie's hotel room. But it felt amazing and as long at Nathalie kept touching her like that, she wasn't going to complain.

"We'll start with something easy tonight…"  Nathalie kissed down to one of Dani's breasts, taking the nipple between her teeth, swirling her tongue around it before letting her breath cool it. "It's obvious that you're enjoying yourself… and you may continue to do so as long as you don't come before I tell you to."

"Okay." Dani squirmed more and hooked one of her legs around Nathalie's. Surely Nathalie wouldn't make her wait for too long. "I think I can do that." She tried to reach for Nathalie only to have the restraints bring her up short. It only made her squirm more.

Dani's squirming only pushed Nathalie, and she began to touch her, determined to see if the girl would hold out.  She pressed her fingers into her, her thumb to her clit circling firmly.

"Ohhhh...." Dani couldn't stop herself from pressing back, quickly getting closer to her release before she realized that was exactly what she wasn't supposed to do. She whimpered in frustration as she attempted to pull away from Nathalie's hands. "God, that feels good."

"Good…you're being very good, Dani."  Nathalie's voice was soothing, but her pace was nearly frantic.  She ignored her own desire for her focus on the girl, on how she was pushing herself, how she was so unlike Sabina.

The praise was almost enough to make her efforts pointless. " _Fuck_ ," she whimpered and tried to pull further away. Sweat was starting to bead on her skin and it was getting so hard for her to stop herself. Every instinct told her to push closer, to let the pleasure overwhelm her and Nathalie wasn't doing anything to make it easier to make the harder choice.

"You want to come, don't you?"  Nathalie stilled her thrusts, thumb still moving over Dani's clit.  She kissed the girl's neck, underneath her ear. "Is that all you want right now?"

Dani nodded frantically. "Please..." She tried to reach for Nathalie again, pulling the restraints and not thinking about the bruises she would probably have to cover the next day. " _Please_."

"Since you asked so nicely…"  Nathalie pressed harder as she captured Dani in a kiss, pushing their bodies together, feeling the brunette shudder underneath her.

If Nathalie had asked her to wait a second longer, Dani wasn't sure she could have done it. As it was, her orgasm rippled through her with an intensity she couldn't remember feeling before. She gasped for breath as she finally calmed and nuzzled against Nathalie as best she could. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome,” Nathalie whispered, stroking Dani's hair before she unhooked the restraints and pulled her close.  She felt her eyes threatening to grow wet with tears, but she blinked them away. She could not remember a time when Sabina had thanked her genuinely rather than out of a constructed obligation.

Everything felt warm and fuzzy and Nathalie's arms only intensified the feeling. Still, she had a feeling that Nathalie wouldn't appreciate it if she fell asleep on her. She forced her eyes open and pulled Nathalie closer. "How can I really thank you?" Dani kissed her lightly, waiting for whatever her next instruction might be.

For a moment, Nathalie simply toyed with the cuffs that still held Dani's wrists together.  She thought about undoing them, but a small smile came to her face as she decided against it. "I think you know."

"I do?" Dani's grin was back as she got a second wind. The lethargy was wearing off and she used her new found energy to slid down Nathalie's body and push her legs apart. "I suppose I don't get to tell you to wait, do I?" She nipped at the inside of Nathalie's thigh.

"I am fairly sure you don't want to try," Nathalie replied as she settled back, closing her eyes.

"Unnhmm." Dani shook her head and kissed the spot she had just bitten. "You're much to scary for that." Maybe teasing Nathalie wasn't the best course of action, but she just couldn't help herself. For all she knew, Nathalie really could get scary if she wanted. Dani didn't want to give her time to think about, so she pushed her tongue between Nathalie's lips and started licking.

For the moment, Nathalie let that go.  Dani's touch felt too good, and she had ignored what she wanted for long enough.  She let her hands fall to the coverlet, gathering it into her fists as she twisted. "Oh God…"  Dani's breath was warm, and her eagerness did not interfere with her talent in the least.

"Mmmm," Dani hummed against Nathalie's clit and pushed her fingers inside of her. She wasn't really interested in holding back, or in asking Nathalie to. She wanted to feel her come, to hear her, and she was doing everything she could to make that happen.

"Good…good," Nathalie breathed. She arched, moaning unabashedly in her own pleasure.  She pulled Dani up into a kiss, fumbling to unclip the cuffs.

"Mmm." As soon as the cuffs were off, Dani wrapped herself around Nathalie. "Satisfied?" She skimmed a hand over the skin of Nathalie's stomach, just enjoying the way it felt. This was way better than trying to hook-up with a first year and she couldn't quite understand why Eli had put up with her.

"Mmhm."  But Nathalie was instantly beginning to feel hollow.  She had left, had told herself that it was time.  And it had been time.  But she had also told herself that she was ready, that she was finally done and would not look back.  And here she was, looking back.  She had been looking back the whole time with Dani.  And every bit of the enjoyment was tinged with memories, with the hurt Sabina had caused with her selfishness. The nights she had spent alone with the baby, the things she had given up… "You should rest," she said, her voice flatter than intended.

"Yeah." Dani yawned. She was getting sleepy again. "I can go, if you'd rather..." There was something just slightly off about Nathalie's voice, but Dani really didn't know her well enough to presume anything. Still, she snuggled into the bed.

"No…stay…"  Seeing the girl falling asleep so quickly, Nathalie slipped out of bed and began to dress.  She couldn't stay there in that room, couldn't stay where Sabina was still so present.  She wondered how long she would carry her around.  She and Marco needed to get out of the city, needed to go somewhere new.  She looked over her shoulder for a moment, watching Dani sleep.  She hoped the girl wouldn't be too hurt.


	2. Voicemail

_Hey, it’s Dani. I just... I wanted to see what your Christmas plans were. I think we’re actually going to be in the City for most of this break. I, uh, I guess you’re pretty busy. Spending too much time in the library or something. Uhm, give me a call back._


	3. Tutorial

Rebbecca tugged harder on the puppies' leashes, trying to keep them from pulling her into the brush. Clearly, their training hadn't taken hold yet, and despite their small size, they were much stronger than they looked. But it was a beautiful day in the park and she was enjoying herself, antics and all.

Headphones and sunglasses on, Eli was completely into her run.  She licked her lips, wishing she'd brought along chapstick and wondering if she should stop on her way back.  She was thinking of where when she nearly tripped over something, and as she finally kept herself upright, she realized it was something furry. "Oh, shit..sorry, my fault...damn."  She picked up her sunglasses and slipped them back on. "Oh, Professor Carey...hey."

"Eli." Rebbecca was surprised by one of her students suddenly appearing in front of her, and it was easy to see on her face. "No, it's totally my fault. Bo hasn't quiet figured out what 'stay' means yet." The puppy in question was wagging his tail excitedly, clearly thinking that he had just made a new friend as he sniffed at Eli's ankles, then got up on his hind legs to balance against her calf.

"Oh yeah?"  Eli grinned down at the dog before squatting. "Hey there, Bo...were you trying to make me miss finals by breaking my leg, huh?"  She grinned as she scratched behind his ears. "He's cute," she said, looking up.

He wasn't the only one. Rebbecca only allowed herself to consider the thought for a moment before she pushed it away. "Thanks. I'm only had them for a few weeks. Bo and Huck." Once Eli was on their level, Huck was just as eager to sniff at her, and between the two of them, they were doing everything they could to push Eli to the ground. "They like you, but then they like everyone."

"Oh, gee, thanks."  Eli laughed as Huck licked her face.  She simply just sat on the ground and let the dogs crawl all over her, not minding a bit. "When my brother went off to college, my moms got a new one, and she was the same way...still is, actually."

"My parents did the same thing when I finally went off to school, but with cats." Rebbecca shuddered slightly. She had never really cared for her parents cats. "And you really shouldn't give into them like that. They're already so spoiled that it isn't much of a surprise that their training isn't catching on." She was smiling good-naturedly as she said it though, clearly not too upset at just how terribly she had spoiled her pets. She knelt down and tried to grab for wriggling bodies. "Come on guys, we should let Eli get back to her run."

"They're fine, really."  But Eli was standing even as she smiled.  She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ears and bit the bottom of her lip. "Sorry I sort of tripped into your walk."

"It's not a problem. Like I said, it was my fault." Rebbecca stood as well and started straightening out leashes, even though it was a hopeless task. Her smile grew as she watched Eli bite her lip. She really needed to stop thinking of her student like that, but she ducked her head slightly anyway. It wasn't like a little flirting could really hurt anything. "You managed to stop them from pulling me directly through the bushes on their way to the beach, so I should probably thank you."

"I...have to run that way on my way back home if they really want to head that way.  Maybe between the two of us we could keep them out of the water," Eli said.  The words just rolled off of her tongue before she really knew what she was saying.  But she was pretty sure Rebbecca was flirting with her.

"Alright." She was agreeing before she could even really think about it. "I skipped my run this morning, so it'll be good for me. That way?" She pointed in the direction that Eli had been running.

"Yeah..."  Eli took Bo's leash and started with a slow jog. "You know, we could just walk.  I've already done about five miles today anyway.  But...these guys might like the run..."

"Afraid that I won't be able to keep up?" Rebecca teased as she fell into step beside Eli. "They could do with being tired out. Maybe they'll actually settle down once I get them back home, though I'm not going to hold my breath."

"I didn't say it...you did," Eli said as she sped up.  Bo seemed to be enjoying himself, trotting along in front of her, and soon they were on the beach.

Rebecca chuckled and let Eli pull ahead of her just a bit using the moment to enjoy the view before easily catching up. The dogs quickly found their way into the waves, jumping over them and into them and tumbling into each other. Rebecca could only laugh as she tried to stay dry herself. "Yeah, I should have known I wouldn't get through the day without them getting all wet." She shook her head indulgently.

"I'm sorry..." Eli laughed lightly.  She was already completely wet, her tee shirt sticking to her. "I'll help you get them dry and bathed and everything, I swear."  She laughed lightly as a wave hit her legs and splashed drops onto her cheeks.  Then she felt the leash go slack. "Shit, Bo..."

Rebecca was laughing when she heard the note of panic in Eli's voice, and she immediately started scanning the waves for the puppy. "Fuck." She thought she saw something and her heart immediately leaped into her throat.  "Hold Huck." She didn't even look at Eli as she thrust the leash at her, then dove into the waves at where she thought Bo might be. It felt like she was in the water forever before she felt his furry body under her hands and got a hold of him. As she stood up, another wave hit her in the middle of the back and she was pushed forward, but she kept Bo in her arms as she fought her way back onto the beach.

"Is he okay...he is he okay?" Eli called as she pulled Huck into her arms.  She grabbed Rebecca and hauled her to the shore, holding the puppy close. "God, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Rebecca shook her head, still out of breath as Bo gave a loud bark. "I think he's fine." Her hair was hanging limply in her eyes and she was thoroughly soaked. She took Bo's collar and leash and refastened it around his neck before putting him back on the ground. He was all wet, but he was wiggling again.

"Professor Carey, I..."  Eli held Huck tightly before she put him down. "Really, I'm sorry, I should have been paying better attention."

"And I should have checked his collar more carefully when I put it on." She shook her head, then tried to wring some of the water from her shirt. "I should have known that staying out of the ocean was going to be futile." She squatted down and scratched behind Bo's ears. "You need to learn not to attack waves that are three times bigger than you."

"Look, my place is pretty close.  We can go dry off...let the dogs chill for a little bit..."

"Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea." Rebecca stood, hand wrapped a little too tightly around Bo's leash, and shaking lightly from excess adrenaline. She pushed the hair out of her face, though it didn't do much good. "Lead the way."

Eli walked quickly to her place, her hand wrapped around Huck's leash just as tightly as Rebecca's.  She fumbled with getting her keys out of her shorts' pocket and let Rebecca in. "Let me just get some towels," she said as she dropped Huck's leash after the door was closed.

"They're not going to ruin anything if I let them wander around like this, are they?" She assumed as much from the way Eli just dropped Huck's leash, but she wanted to be sure, even as she was unclipping the leashes from their collars. Once that was done, she pulled off her shoes, knowing for sure that she would leave puddles wherever she went if she left them on. "Nice place." Rebecca smiled as Eli came back and handed her a towel.

"No, it's fine, really," Eli said as she ran a towel through her own hair before catching Bo and running it down his back. "And thanks...I like it...took forever to find the right place...but yeah..."

Rebecca got as dry as she could before she wrapped her towel around Huck and tried to do the same for him. "You don't have a pair of sweats or something that I could borrow, do you?" A towel just wasn't going to cut it.

"Oh, yeah, sure...let me just..."  Eli laughed as Bo licked her cheek and she nuzzled him lightly before getting up.  It didn't surprise her that he trotted after her, shaking in the hallway, as she went to find the sweats. "Okay, I don't usually wear things that have PINK across my ass, but these were on sale..."

"Riiiiight." Rebecca shook her head as she took them and disappeared into what had to be Eli's bedroom. She left her wet clothes in the adjoining bathroom and stole a tee shirt from on top of a pile. It had "Wellesley Rugby" written across the chest and she could only roll her eyes. "Stereotype much?" she said as she reappeared.

"Women's College...Rugby Player...Lesbian...lawyer?"  Eli smirked.  She had to admit, Rebecca looked damn good in her clothes. "That's a stereotype?  I wasn't aware."  She licked her lips as she headed toward the bedroom, pulling her shirt off in the hall.

"The first three certainly are." Rebecca returned the smirk and only pretended not to be looking at Eli's naked back and equally bare silhouette before she stepped into the bedroom. "Or they're at least a cliche."

"What about the fact that I have two mothers?" Eli called.  She threw her clothes in the pile with Rebecca's ad put on a tee and shorts before scooping it all up to put in the washer. "Too much?"  She grinned as she passed by her.

Rebecca sank onto Eli's couch and made herself comfortable. "Definitely. Are you sure you aren't a character on a bad sitcom?"

"Uh...if I was, wouldn't that make you one too?"  Eli winked as she grinned. "I'm just going to wash these...you want a drink?”

"I guess it would. And I'll happily take a glass of water, or club soda if you have it." Rebecca watched Eli move around the apartment, following her with her eyes. The puppies had finally settled down and were curled up around each other, laying in the sun.

When the clothes were in the wash, Eli poured two glasses of peach infused water and went to perch on the edge of the sofa. "If...you don't want to wait around, I can always bring them to you later," she said, glancing at the dogs, who seemed to be settling down for a nap. "But you're welcome to stay."

"Mmm, For some reason, I think you bringing pile of my clothing to my office might be taken the wrong way if anyone saw you." Rebecca raised her eyebrows suggestively, not at all bothered by the implication. Still, if anything did happen, which was unlikely anyway, advertising it all over the school would be really, really dumb. "This is really good, by the way." She indicated the water.

"Oh, it's peach...something Patrice--one of my mothers--really likes."  She shrugged as she leaned back, resting her head against the wall.  Why hadn't she noticed that Rebecca was so...fucking hot before? "It's habit now, I guess, to just...throw some fruit in."

"I might have to steal that." With the way Eli's head was tilted back, it made her neck look even longer, and Rebecca couldn't stop herself from imagining her tongue tracing its way up from her collarbone to her ear. Eli was probably still salty from the ocean. Rebecca's mind drifted for a moment.

"Steal what?  Slicing a few peaches and throwing them in a pitcher?"  She laughed lightly and scratched Bo's neck when he sleepily wandered up to her.

Rebecca shrugged "I'm having a dinner party next week and I was looking for something light. Simple ideas make it look like I didn't go to too much trouble." She rolled her eyes. Sometimes fitting into the California social scene was ridiculous. Of course everything had to be perfect, but that didn't mean that anyone was supposed to know you put effort into any of it.

"Aah, I see."  Eli smiled tightly, but she wasn't sure why the smile was tight.  She slid onto the sofa and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Did I say something that I shouldn't have?" The change in mood was obvious, but she couldn't figure out why mentioning a dinner party would have upset Eli. It wasn't as if they were actually friends. It wasn't as if they had even seen each other outside of class before that day.

"What...?  No..."  Eli ran her fingers through her damp hair and smiled.  She shouldn't be upset; it was stupid.  But she wanted to be a part of those sorts of things.  She had been...at home. "Not at all, of course not."

"Right." Rebecca didn't believe her for a second, but she wasn't going to push. She shrugged instead. "You're welcome to come. It isn't going to be anything formal. Just some grilling on the deck. There's always room for one more." She didn't know why she offered, but she was glad that she did.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."  It was an automatic response.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, of course you do. Besides, I'm hardly going to get annoyed if I have to buy another steak. It's going to be super low key." She grabbed one of the many legal pads off of the coffee table and wrote her address down. "For when you get over trying to be polite. Besides, there'll be hot women there. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Uh...right...maybe, I will." Eli shifted and licked her lips.  The clothes wouldn't be done for a while, and she wasn't quite sure what to do in the interim.  Things had gotten more intense than she intended.  But...she wasn't sure she would really complain. "Yeah..."  She ran her fingers down her neck.

The movement caught Rebecca's eye, and she watched Eli's fingers skim against her skin. She licked her lips. "You know, maybe I should head home." It would fix the problem she was having tearing her eyes away from Eli. "You could bring the clothes by when you come to the party..."

"Oh, yeah...I guess...if that's what you want."  As she said it, Huck rolled over and yawned, his little eyes closed.  He was obviously content.

"I don't think that what I want and what Huck want are aligning right now." Rebecca smirked and shook her head. "C'm on buddy," she scratched his stomach, "time to go." She could only shake her head again when he made a little growling sound and stretched.

"God, they're so cute," Eli said as she leaned back and pulled her legs up underneath her.  She idly ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about how relaxed Rebecca looked petting Huck.

"I know." Rebecca kept shaking her head. "I only meant to get Huck, but once I saw them together, I just couldn't separate them." She sank down onto the floor to pet both of them. "Now I can't ever kick them out of bed at night."

"You just wait until they get huge."  Eli chuckled lightly, trying not to picture Rebecca curled up in bed. "Alex and Patrice had two pitbulls when I was a kid...damn dogs slept with them every night...and that didn't leave much room."

"Yeah." Rebecca leaned down to press her face to Bo's stomach. "Well, it isn't like there's anyone else around that they might be crowding out." With that, Rebecca sighed and stood. "I really should be going. I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing on a Saturday."

"It's really okay, but..."  Eli rubbed the back of her neck, sensing that things had gotten too awkward. "Yeah, just let me know the details about the party or whatever and I'll bring the clothes with me."

"Awesome." Rebecca smiled as she reattached the puppies leashes. "People should start showing up around six and we're eating around seven, so just whenever you can drop by. That's really the extent of the details." Despite the current awkwardness, Rebecca found that she was really hoping that Eli would show up. "Just tell me that you're not a vegetarian, or I might have to reconsider my menu."

"I'm not a vegetarian...and I'm looking forward to it."  Eli smiled as she walked Rebecca to the door.  She bent and patted each of the puppies in turn before standing again. "Well...have a good weekend."

"You too. I'll see you in class on Monday." Rebecca couldn't help but smirk a little. "Be ready for the Ford case. I think you're next on my list." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tugged on the dog's leashes.

"Right..."  Eli blushed lightly and bit her lip, waving as she watched Rebecca disappear.  When she closed the door she leaned against it and slid to the floor.  This...was turning out to be a mess.

*****

As she walked up the path, Eli smoothed her dress and chewed her bottom lip before squaring her shoulders.  This...she hoped it wasn't going to be weird.  She had Rebecca's clothes folded neatly in an oversized purse, and when she rang the bell, she hoped she didn't look like an idiot.

There was only one person coming to the party that Rebecca thought might ring the doorbell rather than just come in and she excused herself from the group of people around her in order to get it before Eli started to feel awkward standing around outside. She was happy to be rewarded for her assumption as she opened the door. "Eli. You made it." She stepped back to let her in. "You know, you could have just come in. Everyone's out on the deck except for Jack," She waved in his direction, "who's playing pastry chef."

"Oh...cool..."  Eli smiled and shifted her bag.  She tried to shift easily into the party, but she was finding it difficult. "I have your stuff..."

"Oh, great. I washed your sweats. They're in the bedroom, and you can get them after dinner." She put an arm around Eli's shoulders and pulled her through the house. "Come on back, and let me introduce you to everyone." She stepped out onto the deck where the rest of the guests were gathered in small groups.

*****

By the time the night was over, Eli was more comfortable, so much so that she didn't realize she was the last one left.  She ran her fingers through Huck's fur as he was curled in her lap. "God, it's late...I'm sure I should have gone a while ago...with everyone else."

Rebecca chuckled, a glass dangling from her fingers. "It's cool. I promise." She reached over and trailed her fingers over Huck's back. "Let me get you another glass of tea or something." If her fingers brushed against Eli's, she didn't really think much of it.

"Mm, yeah...tea," Eli said softly.  She tried not to suck in a breath at the touch, but she failed miserably.

"I'd offer you something stronger, but I don't keep anything in the house." But Rebecca didn't move and her fingers found her way to the back of Eli's hand. It was an insanely stupid idea, but she just couldn't stop herself. She had never been very good at stopping herself.

"Why is that?" Eli asked as she shifted, moving forward to prolong the contact.  The puppy yawned, but he seemed undisturbed.  Eli's heart, however, was beating wildly.

"I'm an alcoholic." Rebecca shrugged, as if it wasn't really a big deal. She didn't pull her hand away. Actually, she held it tighter, turning Eli's hand over and tracing the veins in her wrist. "I was never very good with self-control."

"Oh..."  Eli was shivering under the touch, and she found it hard to find the right words. "That's...I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault." Rebecca was far more interested in the way Eli was shivering than what she was saying. She lifted Eli's wrist to her mouth and pressed her lips to her pulse.

"God...Rebecca..."  Eli licked her lips as she caught Rebecca's eye, and that only made her shiver more.  She knew she should stop this.  Rebecca should stop it.  They were both adults, after all. "This...mmm," she murmured as she leaned in for a real kiss.

Rebecca happily gave Eli what she wanted, pushing her tongue into Eli's mouth and wrapping her hand around the back of her head. "Like I said, bad with self-control." And that just made everything even more intoxicating.

"Have you got a bedroom or are you planning on fucking me right here?" she said brusquely as she pulled Rebecca closer, upsetting Huck.

"Are you always this impatient?" Rebecca smiled as she stood, pulling Eli up after her. "And I do have enough discretion to know better than to fuck you on my porch."

"Are you always this forward with your best students?"  Eli wrapped her arms around Rebecca and stole another kiss before being pulled inside.  She certainly wasn't complaining.

"What makes you think you're one of my best students?" The smirk was practically tattooed on her face now. She kept pushing Eli back toward her bedroom, untucking her shirt as they went. "You do know that I'm not going to give you an A just because I like the way you taste, right?"

"I'm pretty sure that I'm one of your best students because I'm one of your best students," Eli said, cheeks turning pink.  She stumbled and held to Rebecca tightly, pulling her onto the bed with her. "Regardless of just how good I taste..."

"You're blushing." Rebecca couldn't keep her hands still, pushing them under Eli's shirt, trying to get it off while kissing her. Her own heart was beating in her ears and Eli's skin felt amazing beneath her hands. She nipped at Eli's bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth.

Eli moaned until they broke apart. "I am not," she insisted as she pulled her own shirt off and started unbuttoning Rebecca's.

"Only in a universe where you're not my best student." Rebecca let Eli push her shirt off, then pulled her close again, moaning lightly as their skin pressed together. "God, you feel good." She flushed as one of her hands found one of Eli's breasts and started squeezing it.

"That's because I'm young and nubile," Eli teased as she pushed her hands down the back of Rebecca's pants. She nipped at her jaw before moving to kiss underneath her ear.

"Well, I'm glad you told me that, or I wouldn't have noticed." Rebecca chuckled and stood. She paused for a long moment, just looking down at Eli, taking in her half naked body. "Yeah, I definitely wouldn't have noticed." She unfastened her jeans and shimmied out of them.

"Yeah, I bet you wouldn't."  Eli licked her lips as she watched Rebecca, noticing for the first time how long her legs were.  She sat up and pulled her close by the hips as she began to kiss down her stomach. "Mmm."

Rebecca shivered at Eli's touch. "Yeah, my powers of observation are known to be pretty weak. I'm kinda slow in general." Rebecca pushed Eli back and climbed on top of her as her eyes sparkled.

"God, do you always talk so much?" Eli ran her hands up Rebecca's back and moaned as she moved them around, cupping her breasts.

Rebecca sucked in a breath as she pushed her breasts further into Eli's hands. "If you don't like it, shut me up." She leaned down and caught Eli's lips with her own.

"Mmm," Eli moaned into the kiss.  She shifted so that she could press the flat of her palm between Rebecca's legs, delighted when she found her wet.

Rebecca gasped, pressing down against Eli's hand. "That'll do it." She nipped at Eli's collarbone, sucking on it lightly before moving down to suck on one of her nipples.

"Shh...mmm, oh God, that's definitely a good use for your mouth," Eli purred.  She pressed her fingers underneath Rebecca's panties and quickly into her.

"Jesus," Rebecca totally lost concentration for a second and pushed down onto Eli's fingers, rocking against her hand as she moved on top of the other woman. Her eyes were closed as enjoyed herself, not caring if she was suddenly ignoring the incredibly appealing young body in front of her.

"Greedy," Eli whispered, nipping at Rebecca's ear.  She didn't mind though.  The other woman's obvious enjoyment only heightened her own, and she began to thrust faster, catching Rebecca's clit with her thumb.

That made Rebecca open her eyes. "Absolutely." She kept pushing herself against Eli's fingers getting closer and closer to her climax. She pressed her lips to Eli's, kissing her thoroughly and she drug her fingers through Eli's hair.

There was nothing else Eli could say, she she just met the kiss, pushing harder, faster, trying to push Rebecca over the edge.

Rebecca was silent as she came, biting her lip and closing her eyes as she grabbed at Eli. Once she could breath again, she opened them, a content grin plastered on her face. "That... mmm..." She took another deep breath before sitting back up again, running her hands over Eli's torso as she did. She could feel Eli's hip bones pressing into the backs of her thighs and though that perhaps it was time to move, though she was in no hurry to do so.

"You're fucking killing me, Rebecca," Eli groaned as she pressed her hips forward.

"Not yet, I'm not," Rebecca smirked and tweaked one of Eli's nipples before she slid down Eli's body and quickly parted her legs, pressing her tongue between them.

Groaning, Eli settled back against the wrinkled and damp sheets, smirking the entire time. "That's better," she said, hesitating for only a moment before pressing her hands into Rebecca's hair.

Rebecca's chuckle was muffled, and though she wanted to retort, she didn't, pushing her fingers into Eli instead.

"That's it," Eli murmured. "God...yeah..."  She settled back, but she could barely catch her breath for the feeling of Rebecca's tongue.  Finally, when she came, she was equally as silent, twisting Rebecca's hair in her hands.  She wouldn't be outdone, after all.

Rebecca slowly crawled back up to Eli's side and collapsed there, licking her lips before she wiped her mouth. "I was right. You do taste good." She kissed the point of Eli's shoulder and rolled onto her back.

"Mmm...I should go," Eli murmured, dazed.  She sighed and breathed in their scents...sweat, sex, wet sheets.  But she knew this couldn't last, just as much as it shouldn't have happened.

"You can lay here for a few minutes and catch your breath, if you want." Rebecca shook her head as she smiled. Inviting Eli to stay the night was completely out of the question, no matter how tempting it was. She reached over blindly and found Eli's hip, rubbing her fingertips over the bones there.

"I shouldn't," Eli said, immediately turning into the touch.

"Probably not, no." But Rebecca didn't stop moving her fingers. It was a night for really bad decisions, it seemed.

Eli drew in a jagged breath and pulled Rebecca into a quick kiss before she rolled out of bed and started pulling on her clothes. "Have a good night, Rebecca.  Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome anytime," Rebecca said, and she meant it. She got up and pulled a robe on, tying the belt just a bit too tightly. "Let me walk you out."

"Sure."  Eli ran her fingers through her hair, knowing it definitely wasn't going to happen again.  But...you only live once, she thought.

Rebecca walked Eli to the door, puppies weaving through their feet with each step. She sighed, almost regretfully as Eli got to the foot of her front steps and got into her car. It was really too bad that Eli wasn't just a bit older... She lifted a hand as Eli started her car and put it into reverse, quickly backing out and driving away. Class was certainly going to be interesting on Monday.


	4. Voicemail

_Dani, you’re never going to believe what I just... Actually, you probably don’t want to hear about it. I’m sorry I bugged you. Don’t bother calling me back. It’s cool. Patrice said you were in the middle of some awesome experiment, so good luck._


	5. Summons

Eli smoothed her hair behind her ear as the elevator rose. As if she didn't have anything else to do.  She was probably going to be late to class because of this, if not miss it altogether. And Taylor hadn't even called herself, so she knew it probably couldn't be good. She had talked to Dani briefly a few days before, but she hadn't had any real contact with the brunette's parents since they had broken up.  When she stepped out of the elevator, her walk was brisk.  She almost missed the suite number where she had been told to come.  But as she came to a stop, Eli tried to calm her face, to at least seem pleasant so she could be ready for whoever answered her knock.

Rick opened the door to the suite, quickly trying to figure out which of Taylor's appointments had just shown up. They were already behind for the day and the woman standing there didn't look familiar. "Can I help you?”

"I'm Elizabeth Cabot-LaRue...I think you're the one who called me earlier."  Eli was half annoyed that Taylor hadn't answered herself, but she knew better. "The Senator wanted to see me?"

"Right. Of course." Rick stepped back from the door and let Eli in. "Just let me go-"

"There's no need," Taylor interrupted him. "Come on back Eli." The invitation had been an impulse, and she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to say to the girl, but Dani had been moping a bit more than usual, and Taylor had the oddest feeling that Eli was somehow behind it, never mind that they had broken up over a year earlier.

"Great, thanks..."  Eli pushed the piece of hair back behind her ear, but it was determined not to stay.  She followed Taylor back into her makeshift office and slipped into a chair without being invited. "I didn't know you were in California."

"Just for a couple days. There's a conference on western water rights." Taylor hated working out of a hotel room and she was already eager to get back to DC, but the conference wasn't going to end for two more days and she was stuck there until that it happened. She sat across from Drew. "I'm sorry if Rick was a bit brusque on the phone. He doesn't like it when I don't tell him why I'm rearranging the schedule and he probably took it out on you."

"It's fine.  And really, I can't see why you would rearrange your schedule for me..." Eli couldn't read Taylor at all, and shifted, worried. "It's good to see you, though, of course."

"I don't get out to LA often, and from what I hear, you don't get to New York often, so..." Taylor shrugged. "Here we are. I don't have time to be coy about this. Dani's been depressed lately and I think you have something to do with it and I want to know what's going on."

" _That's_ why you dragged me in here?" Eli blurted. "It seems like you need to talk to Dani about that, Senator." She crossed her arms defensively, feeling almost betrayed in some stupid way, but Eli shook her head as if shaking it away.

"Dani won't talk to me about it and Abbie and I are starting to worry." Taylor pursed her lips. "I was hoping you might have some sort of insight."

"Dani and I aren't exactly together, so I really don't know why you'd ask." Eli said.  She kept herself from snapping, but she knew she sounded completely petulant.

"Just because you aren't together doesn't mean that you don't talk. Something's up and I thought you might know what it is. Clearly I was wrong." Taylor tried not to snap at the girl, but she wasn't used to being denied information.

"Clearly you were." Eli stood abruptly and smoothed the front of her skirt. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"Mmm." Taylor crossed her arms, brooding slightly before shaking it off. She stood to show Eli out. "Well, thank you for coming down anyway." She would just have to try to talk to Dani again. Maybe Abbie had managed to figure it out. "I hope I didn't disrupt any plans you had."

"No, of course not," Eli mumbled as her eyes went to the clock.  Twenty minutes to get to class.  Well, that wasn't happening.  She supposed she might as well call Dani on her way out and see what the hell was going on and why she was getting blamed for it. "Enjoy L.A."

"I'll try." Taylor opened the door to the suite for Eli, ignoring Rick's questioning gaze. "And if you need a job next summer, give me a call. There's a place for you in my office if you want it."

"Thank you," Eli replied, genuinely surprised. "I'll keep that in mind."

Taylor nodded and watched Eli go, hoping that she would get that phone call.


	6. Voicemail

_Eli, God, I’m so sorry The Senator cornered you like that. Really, really sorry. I totally understand if you don’t want to talk to me right now. Just... try not to work too hard and let me know where you’re going to be this summer. It’d be great if we could get together or something._


	7. Endless

Eli smoothed her dress one last time and let her lips curl into an easy smile that was not forced.  It had been a long week, and all she really wanted to do was take a nap.  But she knew that cocktail parties meant opportunities--Alex might have said that or it might have been Patrice (though it was more likely that Patrice said cocktail parties meant free cocktails)--and she wasn't one to pass up any opportunities.  

She wasn't stupid or lazy enough to think that she needed to wait until she got out of school to make connections, and she wasn't proud enough not to use her name to get invites to things like this.  If nothing else, she knew she could find someone to take home for some...stress relief.  There were certainly enough gorgeous women there, and as Eli started her first glass of champagne, she got distracted by just which one to pick.  

The night was going well enough so far, and Lara stood to the side of the gallery.  The rest of the museum was closed for the night, and velvet ropes guided the guests through the exhibits the host had chosen.  She watched the waiters carrying their platters, offering just enough to be decadent, but not so much as to overwhelm.  That Lara was proficient in such matters went unsaid, though she drew less and less fulfillment in them as the years went on.  

She saw on of the several honored guests step into the room, and straightened, though she already made an impressive figure.  She automatically smiled, and stepped gracefully through the crowd to offer his first drink personally, and of course give her best to his wife- though Lara knew well enough that the partnership was mere formality. Most things, it seemed to her- were sadly this way.

As she stopped to admire a small painting sculpture near a larger painting that was drawing quite a bit of attention, Eli was jostled forward.  She gasped, gripping the stem of her glass in an effort not to spill it on the person she accidentally bumped into.

"Oh, God," I'm so sorry," she said quietly so as not to direct any more attention to herself. "How clumsy of me."  Better to be charming than to blame someone else, but Eli paused when the woman turned around.  Those...striking dark eyes.  She blinked. "You're..."  She searched for the name.  The face was familiar but the memory was hazy, something from her childhood. She could smell the ocean, and she could hear a soft, smoky voice. "Donna's...you're...Lara?"

The senator had already been taken away by what Lara could tell at an instant was not someone he was fully prepared to speak with.  Still, it was too late, and she found herself focusing on the young blond woman who had very nearly ruined her dress.  She looked her over quietly, so many people knew her better than she knew them.  "Yes.."  She gave a half-smile- careful never to put someone off until she knew who they were, and most of the time, who else knew them.  She extended her hand, "Yes, Lara Simone."

 _Lara_.  Eli rolled the name around in her mind as she took the brunette's hand and shook firmly.  Her smile became more genuine and she stepped closer, instantly making the impromptu meeting a little more intimate. "Elizabeth Cabot-LaRue.  I think I was about six the last time we met."

If it took Lara long to remember any details, she was careful not to let on.  "Yes, that seems about right."  She let out a small sigh, and a hint of a smile crossed her features, "Given the implications however, I'd rather not make the comparison.  It's good to see you again--Eli, wasn't it?  How have you found yourself out in Los Angeles again?”

Six—Eli told herself that she had been six and of course Lara was simply humoring her.  She remembered the beach, Donna’s house on the beach.  The memory had stayed with her a long time, and it was forming in her head now.  There was just a flash, but she remembered getting in trouble and watching Lara take Theo's small hand and lead him out to the beach to play while Donna prepared a lecture.  She didn't know if her mind was filling in gaps, but it seemed that Lara had hardly changed, hardly aged. "Law school," she said, finding her voice, wondering how long she had been staring. "I'm here for law school, but I thought tonight might be a nice way to…enjoy myself."

She took a long sip of her champagne, finding it already warm.  The memory was fading, and the feelings that replaced it were mixed.  Eli was finding it hard to concentrate on sorting them when Lara's eyes seemed so dark.

Lara did her best to maintain utmost quiet in her expression, not letting on how amused she was at the young woman's comment.  She was at that age--where the things that a few years earlier would have seemed unbearable now were the trappings of a sophisticated adult that seemed necessary to reach for, and try on.  

Without asking, and in one fluid motion, Lara took Eli's glass and exchanged it for a fresh one from a passing waiter, taking one for herself as well.  "Law school, yes.  I'd ask, but you don't seem like the type to let your mothers choose your career for you.  Do you like it so far?"  Lara had long since stopped asking herself why her life seemed surrounded by lawyers, and there was an echo of nostalgia in the thought.

"It's all I've ever wanted," Eli said after nodding her thanks.  The smile on her face was absolutely genuine, but there was something behind it, an almost ruthless desire to match the cool cut of her eyes. "I like the work, maybe not the content so much right now, but I like the evolving politics of it."  She turned to a small, slim sculpture that was being practically overlooked, giving them a small measure of privacy without realizing that that's what she really wanted most with Lara in that moment, that there was some sort of pull to it. "And it's good to be outside of New England."

"Of course."  Lara didn't look away, but quietly sipped her drink.  The room was subtly starting to clear, people were paying their respects to those who it was necessary, and the few who were not were speaking in louder voices as the drinks continued.  "I'm sure you won't be missing the winter."

Eli shrugged easily, knowing just how the muscles in her shoulders would ripple but not really being conscious of why she might want Lara to notice.  Still, she was confused, eager, and she rarely found herself trying so hard to find her bearings. "We'll see."

The small smile returned to Lara's lips for a moment, and she pulled a card from her purse.  "I'm afraid I have guests to attend to, but it was very good to see you again Eli."  For a moment, she placed her hand on Eli's warm shoulder, letting her thumb brush over her skin just a moment too long.  "Do call me if there's anything I can do, or if you need to get away from school for a weekend."  She dropped her hand away, and smoothed the front of her dress, "The house can be a bit, empty these days, but the view is still worth the drive."

As she watched Lara walk away, following her slim figure with her eyes, she ran her thumb over the front of the card, feeling not the embossed letters but the touch of Lara's warm skin.  It was absolutely uncouth, but she downed the glass of champagne in an effort to find some sense of balance…enough to make each leg move.  Perhaps she hadn't talked to everyone on her list that night, but she finally found herself moving into the cool night, gulping a breath of fresh air and desperately trying to determine when she could take a weekend to herself.

*****

While the phone call had been short, somehow in Eli's memory it lasted countless minutes.  The sound of Lara's voice didn't seem natural, but her mind had filled in what she knew was real.  She remembered that voice from her childhood, how she had pointed out the accent and Alex had glared.  Eli had never been much for holding back, just like Patrice.  But now, she felt that feeling again, that sense of being off balance, and it was more than just being in her car with the windows down after days in the library and coffee shops, her head in books and her eyes staring at computer screens.  It was anticipation, it was memory, it was trying to hold onto some of those old feelings but to forget them entirely too.  And when she arrived, she almost missed the drive.  She didn't remember driving out to the house or even pulling up.  There was a vague familiarity about it as she walked up to the door, rang the bell.  But she didn't search for more, finding that unsettling enough to lead her to push her hand through her hair, trying to pin it, unsuccessfully, behind her ears as she waited.

Lara gathered her long dark hair, pulling it over her shoulder as she opened the door, "Eli, glad you found it.  Come in."  She stepped back to let the young woman into the entry.  "I'm sorry again we didn't have more time at the reception.  Please, make yourself at home.  Can I get you anything?"  Her smile was not as restrained as it had been at their first meeting, and Lara would freely admit to herself she'd been anticipating the company.

"Uh…"  Eli was immediately taken by the view from the unobstructed window.  She had planned what to say, had anticipated some of the questions.  She always suspected Alex did the same thing, but she never asked.  Alex wouldn't admit it.  But for all of her planning, she was speechless and moving toward the glass to watch the ocean. "No…I mean, I understand," she murmured. "It was quite a night…really beautifully put together… God, this is…I don't remember it being so…breathtaking," she finished as she finally looked to Lara again, almost surprised that the change did nothing to ground her.

"It is, isn't it.  Perhaps its why I can't bring myself to be anywhere else still."  She took the bag from Eli's hands and placed it on the sofa as she guided the girl out of the entry, and onto the deck.  "Relax a bit, it's why you're here."  Before Eli could say anything else, Lara had vanished back inside again.

"Right," Eli said to herself.  She closed her eyes for a moment and just listened, breathed the air.  There were so few times in her life when she could remember ever being in almost absolute quiet. But in that moment, even if she hadn't completely composed herself, she resolved to stop asking herself questions about what she was thinking, why she was really there or why Lara had given her the invitation.  It might not work, but Eli always tried when it came to situations that left her a little on edge.  There was something about that feeling that she liked, that was a little thrilling. "Thank you," she said when Lara returned with drinks. "For the invitation as well."  The smoothness, the charm had returned to her voice, to her smile. "I don't think I've really taken any time since I came here…"

"That's a pity, but it's exactly what I'd expect."  Lara had heard enough about Patrice and Alex, and knew the territory well.  Eli was definitely her mothers' daughter--in more ways than one.  "I'll just have to see to it that you don't spend the whole weekend pouring over a book then, albeit in more a more scenic location."

Eli smiled, hoping that Lara would make good on that implied promise.  And dinner did not disappoint.  There was a richness to it that Eli hadn't had in her diet for a while.  She wasn't sure if Lara had made it herself, but it reminded her of some of the summers she'd spent in Europe, and it only added to the intrigue of Lara's dark eyes, to the pleasant haze of the wine as they moved into the living room without the conversation really breaking.  None of the pauses were awkward, even though Eli felt herself grasping for something that wasn't really words.  She sat close to Lara, leaning forward at moments, watching with interest when Lara spoke. "I had no idea so much went into finding antique jewelry for art collections," she said as she casually dropped her hand and let her fingers play over Lara's wrist, touching the bracelet that the brunette had just been talking about having received as a gift from a collector.

Subtly, Lara close the fingers of her other hand over Eli's, pausing their progression, and causing the young woman to focus on her.  "There is so much behind every seemingly simple task, don't you find?"  The blond's cheeks were just lightly flushed from the wine, and Lara could sense the girl's guard coming down.  "But enough about all that for tonight, you've been quite patient to let me go on at such length anyway."  She smiled quietly, "You should get some rest-I'm sure you never can get enough."

"I…" Eli's breath had caught at the touch and now her chest was tight.  She blinked as she tried to make out just what Lara's was saying, her words against her actions.  And then she tried not to show her disappointment or let her face fall the least bit. "No, you're right…about the rest…sleep, I mean."  She blushed as she tripped over her words, something so rare and alien to her. "But really…it was fascinating to hear all of that…"  They were standing, and she hadn't really realized it.  Eli ducked her head slightly as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Dinner was great…this was just…a really nice change."

Lara tilted her head just slightly, covering her light amusement.  There were many places she was sure the night could have gone in that moment, but it didn't seem just right.  The fatigue, the nerves, and the drink would all lead to questions of intent later.  "Good.  Let me show you the guest room.  I really do think it has one of the best views in the house."  She was already stepping away to the stairs.

Eli followed, having to admit to herself that her limbs were already heavy with want of sleep.  The past few weeks had been long.  But as they walked up the stairs, she caught the scent of Lara's light perfume, and she shivered lightly, knowing where her dreams would take her that night.

****

On the kitchen table that morning, Eli had found fresh fruit with soft bread and hard cheese.  She couldn't help  but smile at just how European it was.  But underneath a plum, she found a short note written in precise hand.  Lara was out for the morning, but she could make herself at home as always.  She had torn into the bread thinking about the night before, trying to push through the general haze.  Lara's skin had seemed so warm.  And Eli's mind kept going back to it, even as she had gone out to the desk to read.  It wasn't the library, and she found herself distracted more often than not.  

She had gone to bed alone, like a child, and she was beginning to realize that she would continue to go to bed alone while she was there.  Lara was... she was a friend of her family.  She was a widow who just wanted some company, and she was just...inherently intriguing because she was French.  Eli rationalized that since she hadn't gotten laid in almost an entire month, she was just... reading in to things. She had been pushing herself hard in school, and now, she was just off balance enough to be ridiculous about a chance meeting turned a courteous invitation.  And by the time she had worked around form that, she realized her open highlighter was dried out and that she hadn't gotten anywhere since opening the book probably, judging by the changed color of the sunlight, int he past couple of hours.  She sighed and lay back on the deck chair, closing her eyes.

Lara put her things down in the entry.  She was home early, having asked another of the curators to close up at the end of the day.  She glanced around the house, and then spotted the door to the deck open, covered just by the screen.  The shadows were starting to encroach inside as the sun dipped lower, and she put her sunglasses down on an end table as she went outside.  Eli stirred as Lara slid open the screen door.  She kept her voice quiet, not to spoil the calm, "Sorry to wake you Eli.  I hope you weren't too bored while I was gone."  But it needn't be the case- there was plenty in the house, and the beach was all around.

"No...no, not at all."  Eli smiled as she sat up.  She adjusted the chair and leaned back against it, sitting up a little straighter. "Thank you for breakfast...it was incredibly refreshing.  I just..." She pushed a piece of hair behind her ears only to have it fall strand by strand. "I wanted to get just a little reading done."  Lara looked businesslike, almost severe but not too much so.  It was a contrast from Eli's memories, from the night before even.

"Good... good."  Lara looked at the horizon for a moment, "It's going to be a lovely evening I think."  But most of them were.  "I'll be right back, let me get changed from these work clothes."

Eli crossed her legs, lengthening her body in a way that she knew was appealing.  She was only half conscious of it, but when she caught herself, she blushed. "Sure..."

Despite her best efforts, it was several minutes before Lara came back down the stairs.  Her suit was exchanged for a flowing dress- one that showed an expanse of skin down her back, and tied appealingly at the waist.  Her hair was down, falling in long soft waves around bare shoulders.  Just a hint of perfume followed her, and she paused in the kitchen to pour two glasses of ice tea before going back to Eli.  Lara smiled, her expression softer than before, and she offered the glass, "I think it is still warm enough for something chilled tonight."

"It's beautiful out, yeah.  Thank you." But Eli's eyes were completely on Lara.  She wasn't sure she had ever seen some so completely transformed after only a few minutes, and she nearly sighed in disappointment about the realities of the situation. "I could have fallen asleep out here," she murmured, trying to keep her thoughts neutral.

Eli's expression, her color, was not lost on Lara.  Against her better counsel, Lara had decided what they both needed the night weeks ago at the benefit.  She took in the younger woman's last comment, proceeding with her own thoughts, "You could, but I don't think you drove up here for a nap Eli."  Lara's eyes darkened, and she turned away from the ocean to look at the woman beside her.

Involuntarily, Eli shuddered.  It was a feeling that was both violent and pleasant.  And felt as if all her resolutions from the day were washing away with the tide as if they were nothing at all. "I..." Eli said carefully. "No...not necessarily."

"Then why did you Eli?"  Lara could read people better than they could themselves, and what doubts she had about the next hours were not concerning Eli's interest.  "What do you hope for tonight?  You want to be a lawyer, enter the world of those who make the decisions.  You should practice asking for exactly what you want."

At that, Eli flushed more deeply.  She wasn't sure if it was the words or the dark, placid expression Lara's face, but she found herself almost at a loss.  She tried to gather her thoughts in the motion of sitting up straighter, of leaning forward.  Because her own resolutions about the situation had been so severe, she wasn't prepared for this, but she also wasn't prepared to fall in so easily. "I was fairly sure," she began, finding her voice, her bright eyes flashing, "that what I wanted was off the table."

Only then did Lara smile again quietly, her intuition confirmed.  "Don't speak in metaphors Eli, and don't be discouraged by sleeping alone for one night."  Lara was moving closer now, easily reaching to brush back a strand of Eli's hair.

Eli's immediate retort was almost to ask if that's how Lara lured in all the girls, but something stopped her—a sense of gravity hung over the situation, and she was loathe to break it. "It was more than that," she said quietly as she turned into Lara's hand. "But I… I've wanted you in some way since that party."

Now it was Lara's turn to pause, and she ran her thumb over Eli's smooth cheek.  There had been many girls before, but none since Donna, and her small thrill of anticipation was laced with guilt that she pushed away.  "Good."  Lara stood then, offering her hand to Eli, "Every day we must endure being denied what we want.  Let's leave that for tonight then?"

"You're… serious, then…"  Eli took Lara's hand and stood, stopping close enough to the brunette to smell her perfume again.  She took in a deep breath, knowing what she said was inelegant.  And before she could further ruin the moment, she closed her eyes and pulled Lara into a kiss.

Lara moaned into the kiss, and returned it with almost desperate need.  Eli was young, warm, and passionate, and Lara pressed forward to feel their bodies together.  Only when breathing was necessary did she break away, "Yes... completely."

Eli was grasping Lara as if her legs might give way if she didn't, and she was half sure that they would.  She wasn't sure that she had ever been kissed that way, with so much power of emotions, of history that she didn't know, that she didn't understand.  Again, she felt her center of gravity shift, felt conflict rising to meet her desire. "Lara," she said softly, reminding herself that was still there.  She ran her fingers over the brunette's bronzed shoulders, down the length of her back. "You made me wait all day…"

Lara held Eli close, arching her back as the blond's fingers traced down it.  Though Eli was young, Lara had no plan to control her like the others.  That urge had long faded.  Lara's reply was low, breathy, "Then take me inside, and make up for lost time."

As her breath caught, Eli was already pulling away, taking Lara's hand and leading her inside.  She partly felt like an impostor, partly felt like she was out of her league.  But it wasn't in her nature not to take an opportunity like this, regardless of her own past, of whatever Lara's past was.  She let the door stay open, the cooling night coming behind them with the sound of the ocean. No one could see them, Eli knew, and she bypassed the stairs, pulling Lara into the living room and into another kiss, this time twining her fingers through Lara's hair and trying to work the knot keeping her dress tied.

Without further thought, Lara raised her arms and took over untying the fabric from around her neck, moving Eli's fingers to the loose knot at her waist.

There were things Eli could have said, but she kept them to herself.  She didn't want to break the moment, to cover the sound of fabric falling, crumpling to the floor and uncovering Lara's body.  For a moment, she merely stared, but when the moment ended, she was all movement, shrugging off her own clothing as she pressed Lara back to the sofa.

Lara moaned, but otherwise watched placidly as Eli rid herself of the last of her clothes, and stretched out over her.  Their skin was warm together, and she gripped the cushion above her head with one hand, letting the other roam down Eli's smooth back.  As the blond kissed her again, Lara willingly opened her lips, letting the younger woman's tongue claim her mouth.

"Is this what you want?" Eli breathed.  She knew the answer to that—the superficial answer at least, but there was something deeper than that. Eli trailed her fingers down Lara's neck, feeling her pulse, and she began to kiss after that trail, stopping to hover over Lara's nipples, before taking one between her teeth, moving quickly to the other when she was done.

"Yes..."  Lara let any last ingrained restraint melt under Eli's touch.  "I want it so much Eli."  She squirmed into the touches that she hadn't allowed herself to feel in so long, "I want what you want.."

Eli moaned, completely unrestrained as she pushed any hesitation away.  She kissed Lara again quickly, fiercely, but she moved away before it could become complete and full, and she was kissing down Lara's body, pushing her legs apart to take exactly what she wanted then, knowing more would come later.

Lara's moans were loud and wanton, and her fingers twisted in Eli's hair.  Soon she was shaking, coming quickly and hard, too ready to hold back.

 _Don't_ , Eli wanted to say. _Don't stop, don't calm down_.  She sat up and pulled Lara to her, kissing her again, making it as deep, as overwhelming as she could.  Her head was spinning, and she couldn't stop herself.

Lara was far from sated for the evening, and kissed Eli back, though her body was still trembling slightly.  She didn't wait, but slid her hands down over Eli's body, and between them.  Without pausing further, she pressed her long fingers between Eli's legs firmly.  Lara gasped at how ready the young woman was, at how good she felt.

"Oh, God… yeah… mmm…"  Eli leaned back, completely unashamed.  Lara's touch was sure, firm without commanding too much, and it was a combination that Eli hadn't experienced with anyone else.  She refused to close her eyes, keeping them on Lara's face to see the expressions of delight, to see the emotions playing in the brunette's dark eyes.  Eli curled her toes. "So…close," she breathed.

"I know..."  Lara pushed further, adding another finger, and bringing her other hand to touch Eli's clit in slow circles.  She felt her desire building again quickly as she watched the blond shudder in front of her.

While Eli tried, she couldn't hold in her moan, couldn't play the little game she usually did.  But she didn't care.  She threw her head back and squirmed, and when she was finished and panting, her eyes were bright and unfocused. "I can't… mmm… I hope we're not done."  And she sounded perhaps more desperate, more eager than she meant to sound.

Lara smiled, "We are far from done I think."  There were so many things she could think of to do with such an eager and willing girl, and it had been building within her for so long.  She caught Eli's wrists and kissed them, "Mmm...there is so much more I want with you tonight."

"Anything," Eli said breathlessly, a smile spreading across her face as she leaned forward to steal a kiss. "Everything."

*****

Eli’s breath had long since settled into the rhythms of sleep.  The woman was beautiful--beautiful and young.  Lara took her in for one more long moment before getting up from the bed beside her, and slipping into a silk robe hanging on the closet door.  Quietly, she left the bedroom and went downstairs.  The moon outside the windows was startlingly full, hanging over the ocean and causing patterns of light to play on the expanse of dark water.  

As she passed, Lara took a half-full wineglass from the counter, one forgotten earlier in a more passionate moment.  Outside on the deck, the night was refreshingly chilled, and she wound the robe more tightly around her slender frame.  Wind picked up strands of her hair, and she turned into it as she took a long drink.   

She thought again of the girl asleep in her bed, and from within her a sadness built that she could no longer control.  Earlier had been different, whether it was the many nights alone, or Eli’s pure enjoyment Lara couldn’t say, but it had been a reunion with a younger, simpler time.  It wasn’t regret exactly she felt now--no, just loss, so much loss.  

The tide was high that night, and water washed under the raised foundations of the house.  Donna was still out there, here really, lost in the unending waves of the Pacific.  Lara let the tears that stung her eyes run down her cheeks freely, not looking away from the ocean.  It was a small comfort, but a powerful one, that Donna hadn’t asked to be put in the cold ground someplace back in Indiana.  

The wine was gone now, but Lara still held the glass in her hand, twisting it in her long fingers.  Something told her she wasn’t alone and never really was.  She would say ghosts, but she wasn’t apt to allow the luxury of believing in spirits, though there were many she might conjure from memory.    

She stepped to the edge of the balcony and closed her eyes, causing a fresh cascade of tears to fall.  The ocean echoed in her ears, and she felt the tug of the wind like insistent fingertips in her hair.  Lara stood for a moment longer, caught on the edge of so many realities, mind running through years and seconds,

“I’m sorry Donna...”  Lara’s voice cracked, and a small sob escaped her lips.  “God, I’m so sorry.”   

She leaned over the railing, and the glass fell from her hands into the water below.  Her dark eyes opened to follow its path, but in the next moment the wind seemed to change pitch, swirling around her and pushing her back, drying the tears even as they ran down her cheeks.  She raised a hand to catch her long curls and pulled them over her shoulder.  

Slowly the moment passed and her features relaxed.  Lara let herself be guided back, pushed by the ocean wind toward the warmth of the house behind her.  It wasn’t time yet--there was still more for her here, and an eternity was waiting beyond that.  

  
_"...Cast your eyes on the ocean_  
 _Cast your soul to the sea_  
 _When the dark night seems endless_  
 _Please remember me_...."

-Dante's Prayer


	8. Voicemail

_Hey, Dani, I heard about grad school. You must be thrilled about moving back to DC. I’m not going to wish you luck because I know you’re going to kick ass. Seriously, give them hell. You’re gonna be great. I...I miss you, babe._


	9. Voicemail

_Eli, I’m really sorry that we got cut off the other day. My advisor showed up and I really needed her to answer some questions before she disappeared for the summer. I feel like I haven’t slept in years. I’m sure you know how that is. Do you know what you’re doing after graduation? Call me back. I want to hear all about it._


	10. Surprises

Dani took a deep breath as she knocked on the door to Alex and Patrice's home. She had called Patrice a few days earlier, asking if they could talk but not really getting into the specifics of what she wanted to talk about. Patrice had invited her over for coffee, saying that Alex would be out running errands and that she would appreciate the company. Dani only hoped that was still true after she told Patrice why she was there.

Patrice opened the door, smiling when she saw Dani standing there, "Hey, good to see you, come in!"  She stopped the girl for a quick hug before closing the door.  They didn't see much of her anymore since Eli had been in California, and Patrice would admit she had missed having the two of them within driving distance.  She led them through to the living room, "Coffee?"

"Yeah, sure." Dani rubbed her palms against her thighs as she followed Patrice in and took a seat in the living room. She had just finished her first year of grad school, and while she was enjoying the work, she had realized that she was missing Eli more and more. She smiled as Patrice handed her a cup of coffee and sat down. "How have you and Alex been?"

Patrice crossed her legs and smiled, "Good as always."  She gave Alabaster a pat as the dog walked over to see who was there. "Yourself?  How's school?"

"Over for the moment, just barely," Dani's smile showed her relief at the break. "But I'm working on a research project with one of my professors over the summer. We get started in a couple of weeks." She sipped her coffee, not quite sure how to bring up Eli.

"Back to it soon enough then."  Patrice looked the young woman over and smiled, almost playfully to put her at ease, "So to what to I owe the honor of the visit then on one of your rare days off?"  The blond knew something was worrying Dani, and she didn't mind giving a friendly nudge.

Dani looked down into her mug, as if she might seriously be contemplating the molecular composition of her coffee. When she looked up, she was just as serious. "I miss Eli."

Patrice was temped to just say she did as well, but it wasn't in the same way at all.  Dani looked painfully serious about it, and Patrice knew the feeling.  She stood and went to sit next to the brunette, putting an arm around her, "I know you do, and I know she misses you too."  The blond had seen the signs, as much as the girls were willing to let slip, though she hadn't been expecting for Dani to be so forthright about it.

Dani leaned into Patrice. "We've just been talking a lot less lately, and I know that she's been really busy finishing up, and I have been too... I just," Dani sighed, "we never really stopped talking after we broke up but she hasn't been calling me back and she's been kinda coy about her plans for after graduation and I was just worried..."

Alex hung the shopping bags over one arm as she unlocked the door, careful that the dry-cleaning didn't scrape the ground.  She pushed the door open and quickly closed it behind her, knowing that Alabaster would make a beeline for it. "Patrice, I'm home," she called. "I didn't get the tomatoes you wanted...they all looked a little overripe."  She was taking her shoes off and putting things away while trying to manage an excited dog all the while.  Patrice, she was sure, was around somewhere.

"It's okay, we're in the living room,"  Patrice called back.  She'd told Alex Dani would be coming by already, expecting the other blond to join them once she got things put away.  She turned back to Dani, "I know it's a crazy time, to tell you the truth we don't quite know what she's thinking either."  She realized she wasn't making it any better, "but I do know she misses you."  There had been little comments in passing, and Patrice could read her daughter well enough to know Dani was still a consideration in her planning.

Dani nodded. "I love her. I never stopped loving her." They had both tried to date other people, but Dani always compared them to Eli, and none of them ever seemed to measure up. "I guess I just... want some sort of insight..."

Alex hung up the clean clothes and left the shopping bags sitting on the bed for Patrice to go through.  She pushed her hair behind her ear as she walked into the living room, bending to kiss Patrice lightly before she sat in the chair opposite the other two women. "Dani...good to see you.  You look wonderful."  She smiled to Patrice, knowing she had interrupted her. "I'm sorry for interrupting...go ahead."  She scratched Alabaster's ears as the dog put her head in her lap.

"Oh, we were just talking about Eli."  Patrice knew that much was obvious.  "I was saying we didn't know much about her thoughts for next year."  And her tone would make the rest obvious.  It wasn't as if they didn't talk about such things with each other already.

"I see."  Alex rubbed her fingers over the dog's velvety ear and cocked her head thoughtfully.  She was not one to try to tell Eli her mind--they both knew their daughter better than that--but she'd always thought Dani was good for Eli. "She's been quiet about her plans.  I think she's worried I might pester her if she shows any indication of coming back East."

"Oh," Dani sighed and rubbed her forehead. It seemed that Alex and Patrice knew even less than she did and that wasn't exactly a comfort. "Well, uhm, thanks anyway." She tried not to sound too disappointed, but she wasn't very successful.

Patrice glanced across to Alex, who nodded in return.  "Dani....you know Eli's graduation is soon.  If you can come, we have an extra ticket."

"Oh, I don't know." Dani wanted to go, but she wasn't sure that Eli would want her there. She hadn't mentioned anyone else that she might be involved with, but it was entirely possibly that Eli merely hadn't wanted to upset her. 

Alex shifted, crossing her legs and smiled at Patrice.  It wasn't something they needed to talk about beforehand.  It made perfect sense, and she knew Eli would be pleased to see Dani at the least. "Absolutely...we insist.  It will be good for Eli to see a friend from home."

"Well..." Dani really did want to see Eli again. "I don't want to impose. I don't want to put Eli in any sort of uncomfortable situation, but..." She slumped back and leaned against Patrice's shoulder. "I miss her so much and I don't have any idea if she even wants to see me again."

Patrice put a comforting arm around Dani, "Don't worry about that, I think we know her well enough for this."  Patrice offered Dani a small smile, besides, it'll give me someone to talk to who's not another damn lawyer."

Alex laughed lightly as she uncrossed her legs and pushed out of the chair. She couldn't help her widening smile; it seemed completely natural to have Dani there again, and she realized she didn't mind it one bit.  She'd grown used to the girls looks, to the memories that they brought up.  But at least now, she could concentrate on the happy parts of those memories. "Why don't I fix us some drinks and you can set another place at the table while Patrice gets dinner together.  I'm sure you remember where everything is.  We can hammer out the details after that."

Dani quickly wiped away the tear that had collected at the corner of one of her eyes as she stood up. "That sounds good. Thanks." She headed toward the kitchen and the extra plates.


	11. Text

_Picking Alex and Patrice up at the airport in a few hours...can't believe I'm graduating tomorrow! But I sent back that paper you wanted me to look over. Didn't hear from you, so I hope you got it._


	12. Reunion

Dani nervously looked around Eli's apartment, noting the things that were familiar and noting all of the things that weren't. They had talked about visiting each other, but the timing had never worked out, and now that she was alone in Eli's apartment, she wasn't sure what she should do. She stood awkwardly in the middle of Eli's living room. "It's, um, a nice place." She wondered if Eli would be staying there. She still didn't know what her plans were now that Eli had graduated.

"Thanks.  I..."  Eli shook her head and half smiled as she took everything in.  "I still can't believe you're here."  She was glad though, and she hoped Dani realized that.  Even though they had grown silently apart, Eli's mind never ceased to drift back to Dani at the oddest times.

"Yeah. I hope you're not upset that I just... showed up, are you?" Dani wandered over to a window and looked at the view, too nervous to watch Eli as she answered. She rubbed her thumbs against the windowsill.

"Dani..."  Eli went to her but she stopped short of touching.  There was too much tension in the moment between them, but she was afraid breaking it would result in catastrophe. ""I'm thrilled."  Her voice was hushed, but Eli didn't realize it. "Honestly...I'm thrilled."

Dani smiled tightly as she turned to face Eli. "I'm glad." She was still hanging onto the windowsill as she leaned against it. "So, um, what are your plans now? Do you have a job lined up in San Francisco or LA or something?"

"Dani..." Eli drew in a sharp breath and flexed her fingers. "I...need to know why you came."

"I... Well, I..." Dani clenched her hands. "I mean, it's a big day and I wanted to be here for you." Dani crossed her arms, wrapping them around herself. "I just..." She looked down at her feet. "I can't..."

Eli bounced on her toes for a moment, poised to just laugh and thank Dani for thinking of her, to write the rest off.  If Dani wouldn't, couldn't say that she was there for other reasons...  But Eli shook her head as she watched the brunette shift and bite her lip, and she broke into a soft smile. "I'm still in love with you too," she said softly, amused, as she took Dani's elbows and pulled her close.

Dani wrapped her arms around Eli's waist and put her head on her shoulder. "Yeah." She wanted to be excited, but all she really felt was relief. Excited would come later, she was sure. Dani hugged Eli even tighter. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, babe..."  Eli was grinning as she pulled Dani into her arms and held her tightly.  It was ridiculous.  What they had done with agreeing to break up had been absolutely ridiculous.  And she had been a fool for not seeing sooner. "Remind me to thank Alex and Patrice for letting you tag along because I..." She laughed lightly. "God, Dani, I've missed you."

"It was their idea." Dani leaned in and kissed Eli lightly. "And I've missed you too."

"I don't know. I guess I would have gotten around to saying something myself, eventually." Dani slid her hands up Eli's back. "But you're completely impatient, so I was hoping that I wouldn't have to."

"Is that what it was?"  Eli pressed into the touch and kissed Dani more insistently. "I'm so impatient..."

"That's what I'm going with." Dani started untucking Eli's shirt, pulling it up, trying to get it off. Eli hadn't  answered her question about her plans, but Dani was trying not to worry about that yet. "I love you, Eli. I love you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. After three years, you're still the first person that I think about whenever I want to talk to someone."

"You should have called..."  Eli raised her arms, letting Dani pull her shirt off, and she kissed her again, pulling her close so she could unzip the back of the brunette's dress. "I should have called.  Damn, Dani...we're both idiots..."

Dani tossed Eli's shirt aside, but pulled away before Eli could get her dress off. "I have been calling. I've called you at least once a week for the past two months. _You've_ been too busy to call me back, ergo, you're the idiot. I'm just a coward."

"God...whatever..."  Eli stepped close to her again and drew Dani into her arms. "I just want you to be naked... can that happen and we can talk about the rest later?"

"Yeah, we can be naked now." Dani pulled off her dress and stepped into Eli's arms, kissing her deeply.

"Mm..."  Eli ran her fingers down Dani's back and unhook her bra, pulling it off as she stepped away and just looked. "You're...beautiful.. God, Dani..."  She pulled the brunette close again and pushed her fingers underneath her panties, curling them between her lips and moaning to find that Dani was already wet.

"Fuck." Dani pushed against Eli's fingers, then grabbed Eli's wrist and pulled her hand away. "Bed. Bed now." Dani pulled Eli back toward what she hoped was the bedroom.

"Yeah," Eli gasped, stumbling after Dani.  Somehow, between the hallway and the bedroom, she got in font of her and pulled her down onto the bed, pushing her panties off and pressing her leg between Dani's even though she was still in jeans.

Dani gasped as she grabbed at Eli's hips, pushing herself against Eli's leg. "Bra, off. Need to fell your skin." She kissed Eli. "Please."

"Uh huh..."  Eli arched and pulled her bra off as quickly as possible before pulling Dani back down. "Just touch me, Dani...just..."  She raked her fingers through the brunette's hair and kissed her hair.

"Yeah, sugar, yeah." Dani unfastened Eli's jeans and started pushing them off, running her hands over Eli's ass, pulling her closer. "You feel so good."

"Mmm, so do you..."  She kicked her jeans off and pulled her panties off quickly herself, and then she pulled Dani to her again.  Eli didn't waste any time in touching her, pressing her fingers into the brunette and catching her clit with her thumb.

"Shit, Eli," Dani moaned and wrapped her legs around Eli, pushing her own hand between Eli's legs, trying to focus enough to rub Eli's clit.

"God...yeah...yeah," Eli moaned softly.  Even though Dani's touch was clumsy, half focused, Eli was close, and her own movements were just as jerky.  She kissed Dani, nipping at her lip. "Wanna see you come..."

"Wanna see you." Dani bit down on Eli's lower lip. She was already so close. She couldn't breathe and she pressed even closer to Eli. "So close." She shuddered through her climax, trying to keep her fingers on Eli's clit, trying to make her come too. "Please..."

Eli arched into the touch and closed her eyes, her moans almost silent as she shook with her orgasm.  She held Dani tightly, pressing her fingers into her. "Dani...God...Dani..."

Dani whimpered as Eli filled her and wrapped her legs around Eli. "Eli..." She clung to Eli, trying to get closer. "I've missed you so much. I love you so much." She couldn't get close enough. she didn't know if she was ever going to be able to get close enough.

"I love you too," Eli whispered, kissing Dani's hair. "Mmm...yeah...yeah."  She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Dani's shampoo, the scent of her sweet mixed with her perfume.  And she didn't think she could be happier.


	13. Voicemail

_Eli, I got your text that you're getting dressed at Alex and Patrice's. I'm just going to head that way. The damn heels broke on this pair of shoes and I had to go shopping. And of course Abbie called during to tell me they would probably be late if at the party at all and...anyway, see you in a little while._


	14. Air

Andi watched as Samantha exchanged pleasantries with one of the vice presidents of the bank.  The man used to give her butterscotch candies when she visited her mothers at work, but she couldn't remember his name anymore.  She slipped around the corner of the building- away from the lights and the music.  Somehow Andi usually felt better that way.  She wasn't as good with the attention and the light conversation as her sisters, and didn't care to master the ease and poise of her mothers.  She quietly checked the nearest door to the old mansion that now served as the club house, but found it locked.  She'd spent many days here over the years, entertaining herself while her mothers entertained others, and had gotten to know the place and all it's quirks.  Almost as second-nature, she found the window that never quite closed properly, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail-just exactly as Mother had told her not to- before pulling herself up and sliding inside.  She could have gone through the front door--but that was no fun when she was ten, and it wasn't the point now.

When Eli had made their excuses to get some air, she definitely meant air conditioning.  She pulled Dani into the dark country club and into the first room she could find that didn't look like a closet.  It happened to be the golfer's lounge, but she really didn't care.  She sighed heavily as she wrapped her arms around Dani's waist. "Mmm, there you are.  Hi.”

"Hi," Dani chuckled, pressing into Eli's arms. "Thanks for planning the escape." She brushed the tip of her nose against Eli's cheek.

"For a little while at least...I love your moms, but I just needed a breath there... grandkids and weddings..."  She laughed as she shook her head, pulling Dani closer and in for a kiss. "If this were anyone but Theo, I'd drag you home and into bed right now..."

"Where we could start on the grandkids?" Dani couldn't help herself. She returned Eli's kiss and pulled her even closer. "You know, I doubt anyone is going to be playing golf at night. I think we probably have the room to ourselves..." She let the idea hang in the air between them.

"Do you?"  Eli let her lips brush Dani's as she spoke. "Well, I guess a golf lounge is as good a place as any to try for those grandkids..."  She pulled Dani a little closer, taking in the heat of her skin underneath her dress. "You're beautiful."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Dani's fingers roamed the edges of Eli's pants, slowly pulling up her shirt to feel her skin. She shivered at the thought of what they were about to do and that only made her more determined to do it.

"But flattery won't wrinkle your dress," Eli said, smirking as she pushed Dani's straps off and down her arms.  She shivered at the feel of the brunette's fingers, realizing that's what she'd really wanted all night long. "Mmm...yeah," she breathed, kissing down Dani's neck.

Andi started to roam quietly down the darkened hall.  There was a balcony on the fourth floor that had a great view- and was full of old statues- that always made her feel like she was in the set of some movie.  As she made her way to a back staircase that only the servers were supposed to use, she paused, listening.  There were voices coming from the lounge to her left- and from the tone she could tell they weren't discussing politics.  Andi stepped out of her heels, and picked them up as she padded on bare feet to the door a few paces down the hall.  Silently, she pushed it open and slipped inside, melting into the shadows.

"The dress won't hold wrinkles," years of going to parties with her mothers had taught her those kinds of things, "so don't worry about it." She shimmied it down and stepped out of it. If they got caught, they were _really_ going to get caught. There wouldn't be any other way to explain what they were doing.

"Shit, Dani," Eli moaned softly as she pressed her hips forward. "You make me wish I hadn't been so damned modest when I put these pants on."  She pressed her fingertips into Dani's back, feeling her quiver with anticipation.

"I wish you hadn't been." Dani pulled at Eli's hips. "There's a couch behind you." As much as she hated to push Eli away, it was only temporary.

Andi flattened herself around the corner of a bookshelf.  She could just see the figures, but could hear every word.  Eli she had recognized immediately--and the other girl seemed familiar too.  Andi wasn't so young as to be surprised at what was happening, but she'd never actually seen something so...real before.  She was almost startled to find her stomach clenching, and a distinct warmth grow between her legs.  Andi strained her neck, following them to the couch.

Eli fell back against the soft leather hard, and she wasted no time in pulling Dani onto her lap. "Maybe next time," she murmured, lips against Dani's chest.  She couldn't hear the sounds of the party anymore... just Dani's hearbeat.  And she didn't even think twice about getting caught as she shifted Dani's panties out of the way. "How long have you been this wet?  Tell me, Dani."

"Mmm, all night." Dani nuzzled against Eli's cheek, spreading her legs and leaning against Eli. "Ever since you got out of the shower." She had watched Eli get dressed through a perfectly angled mirror. She squirmed under Eli's fingers as they slid into her, her breath caught in her chest. "I guess I should have told you earlier..."

"It is such," Eli began, nipping at one of Dani's nipples as she pressed her fingers slowly into her, "a very, very good thing you didn't..."  She shifted, her own wetness becoming more and more apparent to her.

Andi had to cover her lips to keep silent, and leaned back against the wall.  She wanted to touch herself so badly, but couldn't- she would wait until she was alone.

"Yeah, well..." She kissed Eli, moaning slightly when Eli's thumb hit just the right spot. "I was going to tell you later, once we were home." She drug her nails along Eli's hairline. "I've been thinking about your cock in those pants for hours, so don't even think you're going to get out of that later, just because we're doing this now. I want to suck you. I want to feel you in my mouth."

"You know..."  Eli's breath caught in her throat and maintaining a cool tone with each word was almost unbearable.  She twisted her finger, thrusting them into Dani harder. "You are behaving incredibly... mmm... shamelessly, Miss Hamilton...  And you should really be punished for it."

"And are you going to punish me?" Dani pressed down hard against Eli's hand, arching her back as she got closer and closer to her climax. She shivered at the tone of Eli's voice, wondering just what exactly had gotten into her girlfriend that night.

Standing was becoming difficult, and Andi knew she should leave--but she didn't know why, and she was doing just the opposite.  Something in the back of her mind registered the name "Hamilton" but she was past making sense of it.

"I might just have to tie you up while I'm fucking you...maybe..." Eli grinned as she bit down hard on Dani's other nipple and pressed the heel of her hand against her clit.  She was shaking with the effort not to shift, to squirm underneath the brunette. "Maybe I'll just cuff your wrists together and bend you over the bed to spank you before you take my cock."

"Oh God, Eli..." It was more than enough to push Dani over the edge and she rocked against Eli as she came, going limp in her arms. "You can do anything you want to me once we get home." She curled into Eli's arms.

"Trust me, baby," Eli said, shifting underneath her to unzip her pants, "I plan on it.  But you're going to have to be _very_ quiet if you don't want Alex and Patrice to hear..."

"Fuck..." Dani was already sliding to the floor. She had forgotten that they were staying with Alex and Patrice while they were in town. "I knew we should have gotten a hotel room."

"I think you can manage..."  Eli curled her fingers delightedly into Dani's perfect hair. "Don't you think you can manage for me, baby?  Do you think you can be a very, very good girl and take my cock quietly?"

Dani nodded and pressed herself between Eli's legs, just getting ready to taste her in earnest when she heard the door open and the lights suddenly come on. She scrambled to cover herself with her discarded dress as  she head Taylor barking out her name, "Danielle Hamilton Carmichael."

"Shit," Eli said wincing in the light as she nearly tripped in getting up and zipping up her pants.  She hastily smoothed her shirt, just in time to see a streak and hear footsteps going in a different direction. "What the fuck..."

Taylor tried to grab whoever it was as they passed, but they were too fast for her. By the time she turned around, Dani was dressed again and Eli looked completely put together. All Taylor could do was shake her head. "Theo and Sophia are looking for the two of you."

"Right...Theo and Sophia..."  Eli took a deep breath and shifted.  Uncomfortable did not even begin to describe what the rest of the night was going to be like. She remained still as Taylor chuckled and turned away and only then did she groan. “We're too old for this,” she muttered, thinking about having to get through the rest of the party now.


	15. Text

_Yes, if The Senator and Abbie want to have dinner, I will leave work at a decent time. Love you too._


	16. Decisions

"You kids should get goin', you were good enough to humor us this long."  Abbie laughed quietly.  Dinner had been a nice change--a chance to catch up with her daughter and Eli, but she could see the young brunette covertly checking the time.  "I know y'all have theater tickets."  She ushered them out of the dining room as Taylor started to clear the dishes over Eli's protests.

"I'm sure we can find something to do until intermission if we miss curtain," Eli quipped, smirking.  There was a great bar nearby that was almost worth skipping the show for, but Eli enjoyed innocent enough comments that might make Abbie blush.  She blamed Patrice and Alex for being so open in bringing up their children.

Abbie laughed, the quip not lost on her, and she responded in kind.  "Knock up my daughter, and you're marrying her."  Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Dani squirm.  "And Taylor'll be fighting Alex for the rights to the first toast at the reception."  She grinned.

"Mom," Dani shook her head and reached for Eli's arm. "We're leaving now." She kissed Abbie's cheek before waving at Taylor and dragging Eli from the house. She looked at Eli apologetically as they headed toward the car. "I don't know why she says things like that."

"She's either hoping that I can accidentally impregnate you by force of will just like the Senator did her so she can get her shotgun or that one of these days she'll say something like that and I'll pull a ring out right there and propose."  Eli shook her head and chuckled, but her smile was tight as she slipped into the driver's seat.

"Don't be ridiculous. She doesn't own a shotgun." Dani could see the tension in Eli's smile and immediately tried to get Eli to laugh it off. "And you know that I don't need a ring to know that you love me." She kissed Eli's cheek, and put her hand over Eil's on the gear shift.

"Are you sure?" she asked a little too quickly.  Eli tried to smile, to indicate that it was about the shotgun that Abbie might or might not be hiding in a closet, but she wasn't even sure herself.  It seemed that since Theo's better than picture perfect wedding, she'd been getting it from both sides.

"Yeah, of course." Dani angled her body toward Eli's, suddenly much more focused. "I mean, I'm not saying that I wouldn't want to marry you, but it isn't something that I need." There was a part of her, a part that was very much Abbie's daughter, that wanted it, the formal commitment, the security, but she knew not to expect it from Eli.

Eli was quiet for a moment before she quickly pulled the car over and as a testament to having learned to drive in the city, parallel parked in a clearly marked no parking zone that was just a little too small for the car. "Dani..."  She turned to face her, her hands still gripping the wheel tightly. "There is...nothing I want more than to marry you..."  And that was true.  She had a good job that was going places.  She had a share of the spotlight now and then and the promise of more in the future.  But she didn't want the kind of spotlight that a huge family wedding would unavoidably bring.  She didn't want the fuss.  She just wanted Dani.  "I can't... imagine anything that would make everything I have complete.  So let's just... do it."

Dani's eyes went wide and she gripped the door handle hard. "Are you asking me to marry you? Really?" She took a very deep breath, feeling the skin around her ribcage stretching. "God, yes, of course. Yes." She threw herself at Eli, knowing that she would be caught, and kissed her. It was completely overwhelming, for all that it had seemingly come out of nowhere, and she felt like she was about to start crying.

For a brief moment, Eli panicked, thinking she'd just gotten herself exactly what she didn't want--Dani in a year and a half underneath a metric ton of lace and tulle.  She met the kiss, letting it calm, and when she pulled away, she was smiling. "I'll take some time...we can go anywhere you want.  Hell, we're in the District, we can apply for the license tomorrow morning if that will make you happy..."

"Let's go to London." Dani scratched at Eli's hairline, arms still wrapped around her neck. "We can catch the late flight and still get married in the morning." Dani didn't know why she suddenly wanted to go to London to get married, but the idea had caught in her imagination and now there was no shaking it.

"You book the tickets," Eli said, handing Dani her phone after one last kiss.  She barely realized that she was grinning broadly as she turned back to the wheel. "I'll get us to the airport."

Dani started looking for the number, smiling back at Eli. "Passports. We'll need our passports. Then you can get us to the airport." She shook her head, still not convinced that it was all really happening.

"Right...right..."  Eli was laughing now as she drove.  Abbie's comment had been almost entirely in jest, something thrown away, but the tension it had caused was melting away now.  She couldn't imagine anything better than this, than simply running off with her girlfriend and coming back with her wife.  The rest... she would think about later.


	17. Text

_How did I get through customs before you did? And what did you pack in this suitcase, Dani...I swear it weighs five hundred pounds, and we were only there for a few days._


	18. Announcement

Alex put the vodka cranberry down beside Patrice and held onto her gin and tonic as she took a seat. She glanced toward the door, noting that they were a little early. Taylor and Abbie had called to say they were finding parking, and she hadn't heard anything from Eli. She put her free hand on Patrice's knee. "When I talked to Eli last night, I could tell she was smiling."

“Was she?" Patrice took the drink and twisted it quietly in her fingers. She had her thoughts about Eli's sudden trip across the Atlantic. She hadn't said anything about it before, but Patrice knew her daughter's firm had a well respected branch in London, and it was in the back of her mind. She would have thought Eli would have told her about something like that, but Patrice knew her daughter would have her reasons.

"Mmhm." Alex squeezed Patrice's knee and leaned over to kiss her cheek lightly. She knew the thought of having Eli even father away bothered Patrice. It bothered her as well; it was hard to let Eli even leave New York, but she was a grown woman, even Alex had to keep reminding herself of that. "Even if that's what this is about, we can always visit...take little side trip to Paris..." She gave a soft smile as she took Patrice's hand and kissed her fingers lightly.

"I know," She said softly, "I know." Patrice sighed and took another sip of her drink as the door to the lounge opened, and Abbie and Taylor came in. She smiled, catching Abbie's eye, "looks like they found parking."

Taylor smiled as she waited for Abbie to sit, then took a seat opposite Patrice. "Do either of you know what this little meeting is about?" It wasn't often that her daughter could summon her anywhere, but Dani and Eli hadn't given them much of a choice.

"Don't interrogate them right off Taylor, get me a drink first at least." Abbie motioned to the bar. She was just as curious as Taylor, maybe more, but she wasn't about to let Taylor take over.

"I'm afraid it seems that we know about as much as you do," Alex said, sitting back in her seat when she realized that Taylor and Abbie were just as in the dark as they were. She checked her watch. "Patrice thinks Eli might have been offered a promotion that will take them to London, but..." She shrugged slightly, not being able to reconcile why Eli wouldn't have told them straight away.

Taylor could only shake her head as she went to the bar and ordered drinks, returning a moment later. "I guess we're just going to have to wait until they get here, though London would be quiet a change."

"That's an understatement Taylor." Abbie's tone made it quite clear just how she felt about the possibility of her daughter moving that far away.

Alex noted Abbie's tone, and she realized that Patrice did as well. Those two were definitely firmly entrenched in one camp, even though she knew they would both be happy for their children if that was the news. "I don't know about Dani, but it's not like Eli to be this mysterious..." She took a long sip of her drink before an entirely different possibility came to her. "Do you think..." She glanced to Patrice. "Have they gotten engaged?"

Patrice raised an eyebrow, clearly considering Alex's suggestion, "I....well it's not out of the question I suppose. Though I don't see why London, but you never know." She laughed, looking across to Taylor and Abbie, "has Dani said anything?"

"Nothing, and Eli certainly didn't ask for permission to marry Dani before they left," Taylor said as a flash of light from the opening door caught her eye and Eli and Dani stepped into the bar. They were holding hands and smiling, but they often did that. It didn't tell her anything.

As they approached, Eli fingered the ring on Dani's finger and bit her lips to keep from grinning too brightly. When they reached their parents, however, she wore an absolutely serious expression, rivaling Alex in her SVU days. "Hey, sorry... traffic," she said as she pulled out a chair for Dani.

Patrice barely let the girls get seated, "Eli, what's this all about?" She was so fixated on catching her daughter's expression that she didn't catch the glint of the ring until she had already finished speaking.

Dani gripped Eli's hand again as soon as she sat down and squeezed it tightly. She could tell that Abbie was as ready to crawl out of her skin as Patrice was, and she just couldn't wait for Eli to answer. "We got married. In London. That's why we went."

It took Abbie a moment and a long breath, "Danielle Hamilton Carmichael..." Abbie's eyes moved from her daughter and Eli's fingers to her face, and any reproach that was forthcoming melted from Abbie's lips as she saw the absolute joy of Dani's expression. She took a breath, "....congratulations." There were so many things she wanted to say, to ask, but suddenly they didn't seem important.

Alex was openly gaping, her hand still poised on Patrice's knee. She had been more prepared for a job announcement than she realized...or even an engagement. But Eli wasn't generally impulsive enough to actually surprise her anymore. "You...got married," she said slowly, "and you didn't tell us you were planning it..."

"We didn't really plan it. It sort of just happened." Dani bit her lip. There wasn't a better way to explain it, really.

Taylor could only laugh and shake her head. "That's..." She didn't have a response, but Dani looked incredibly happy and that was what mattered. "I think you've managed to surprise all of us."

Across the table, Patrice was still letting it sink in. She finally stood up and went to pull Eli out of her chair and into a hug. "Congratulations both of you," She did the same to Dani, "but don't think you're getting away without a party at least.” She could see Eli starting to open her mouth, "no objections, it's not about you," she teased, going back to her seat, "Now, tell us about London."

As she watched Patrice embrace both of the girls Alex felt far away for a split second. She remembered holding Eli--eyes tightly closed as her body stretched with one of her first yawns--in her arms. And there she was with her wife, with Patrice holding her tightly for a mere moment. She was grown and healthy and beautiful and happy. "And let us see your rings," she manage as she wiped threatening tears away from her eyes.


	19. Whisper

Eli squeezed Dani's hand, taking her attention away from Taylor for a moment. "I'll be right back," she whispered.


	20. Moments

It wasn't hard to get Patrice alone.  They stood outside int he cold air, their breath crystallizing, but Eli knew neither of them minded.  She was holding Patrice's hand like she used to when she was a child—it had always made her feel special, safe.  And she was smiling nervously. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I didn't tell you… But it was just…" She shook her head and fought back tears. "It just needed to be that way."

Seeing Eli start to tear up immediately had the same effect on Patrice.  Yes, she'd been hurt, she'd even been angry, but most of all she'd been worried that there was something behind the decision that Eli wasn't saying.  She brushed her eyes quickly, "Oh Eli, Eli I just, I'm not sure I understand yet, but I'm sure I will eventually."  She faced her daughter fully, "The real question Eli is, are you happy?"

"Mom…" Sometimes it slipped out, just as it did with Theo to Alex, and Eli couldn't help but smile as her tears began to spill. "I've never been happier, and…"  She pulled Patrice into her arms and hugged her tightly. "If we didn't do it, we never would have, and I just…I just couldn't spend my life without Dani. I couldn't…keep waiting around for what you and Alex have when I already had it almost in my grasp..."

Patrice was crying now, though she did her best to smile through it.  She rocked quietly from foot to foot, soothing Eli like she did years earlier, "Eli....Eli, then that's all that matters, and you know Alex and I are nothing but happy for you two."  She pushed Eli back then to look her in the eye, "but you know Alex is going to want to throw a party to show our friends our daughter married a senator's kid, right?  You think you can handle one night?"

"Yeah…" Eli laughed as she wiped her eyes.  She couldn’t help but catch Patrice's smile, especially now that she knew Patrice wasn't angry with her. It had been one of Eli's chief concerns, plaguing her that she didn't tell her mother before they went.  But now, she knew all was right. "One party won't kill us…as long as you're both happy.  You're…" she so rarely showed the times when she was unsure, "you are happy…I mean, really… that it's Dani..."

Patrice laughed then, "Eli...you're smart enough to know we love her.  I think Alex has been subtly pushing her at you since you left for school.  In her own way, anyway."  Patrice shuffled on her feet quietly, "But, I think we should go inside now."

Eli glanced through the doorway into the bar, almost catching Dani's eye.  She nodded and pulled Patrice to her one more time in a tight embrace. "You're right.  I just… I'm glad you're happy.  I'm happy…" She smiled again before giving Patrice a purposefully sloppy kiss on the cheek and taking her hand to pull her inside. "Theo's going to be so pissed…"

Patrice laughed as she followed, "Yes, but he'll survive."

"He will," Eli murmured, watching for a moment as Patrice went inside and pulled Dani into a tight hug.  She couldn't help a small smile. At least tonight, everything was perfect.

*****

Eli and Patrice were gone, and Alex couldn't distinguish the rest of the voices around her. Her head was spinning. She was happy for her daughter, proud…and perhaps a little smug that what she thought needed to happen had eventually. And she knew that Patrice and Eli had slipped away to have their moment. That much was inevitable, and she had never resented them for that closeness. There were too many things swirling in her mind, her memories for that. She looked down at her hands, almost marveling at how the years had passed.

Taylor's phone vibrated, and once the blond glanced at the caller ID, Abbie knew she'd be stepping out to handle whatever it might be. Quietly, she took Taylor's vacated seat next to Alex. She raised her glass and nodded, "Who'd have thought, huh?" The reality of the situation hadn't entirely sunk in yet- there were so many implications, but the light in Dani and Eli's eyes was enough for her that night.

"I can't believe they just...ran off to Europe to get married." Alex's voice was distant, and it took her a moment to gather herself to the point where she could turn to Abbie. she was still somewhat in disbelief that so many years had passed, that there were so many coincidences now.

Abbie couldn't tell if Alex was about to laugh or cry, and seemed to hover someplace in the middle. She shook her head, and casually reached out to put a hand on Alex's shoulder, "You know, I can't either really." She smiled a little at life, "and here I was hoping for that Park Avenue wedding."

Finally, Alex took a breath and laughed lightly. She rubbed her eyes before they could grow wetter and shook her head. "If only I thought you were kidding. We'll...have to throw a party, of course. They just...they can't just..." Alex looked into Abbie's eyes, seeing her own reflection, seeing a wash of memories that hurt a little less now. "I want them to be happy. I want them to have...everything."

Abbie laughed then, and pulled Alex into a quick hug. Something about the comment echoed in the Alex she'd been so in love with once. "Of course Alex, and they will. But if Eli's anything like you she won't let it be handed to her."

"Abbie..." Alex gripped her shoulders and didn't let her pull too far away. For a moment, that old fear came back to her and hit her hard. "Abbie, I don't want that to be taken away from them..." And she didn't need to say the rest. Their lives had come full circle, but they had lost so much.

Abbie pulled Alex close again, this time not able to keep her eyes from getting misty. "I know....I think we've just got to trust life sometimes." Without looking, she could tell Taylor had come back, her steps familiar behind her. Finally, she released Alex, and wiped a few last tears away, "But I think we should have a drink to these two before it gets too late. I at least am somewhat curious about this mysterious trip to London." She picked up her glass, "though I'm sure I'll be fine without all of the details."

"I think we can both agree about that." Alex wiped her eyes again just as Patrice and Eli came inside, laughing. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Eli pull Dani into a hug. She and Abbie had been that young once, had been that happy. She held out her hand to Patrice and pulled the blonde to sit beside her as she sighed softly. "So," she said, finding a clearer voice as she addressed the group, "tell us your plans..."


End file.
